The Falls Road Running Store has a few spots left for its 10th annual Celtic Solstice 5 miler in Druid Hill Park on Dec. 19.  

Some of the proceeds will go to the Parks & People Foundation, which supports educational, recreational and environmental prorgram. 

The course runs through Druid Hill Park, past the Maryland Zoo, the Rawlings Conservatory and other park sites. The race has grown from a hundred runners to more than 2,000 registered so far this year, according to race organizer Jim Adams of Falls Road Running. 

There are still a few spots left for a $15 fee. You have to go the store at 6247 Falls Road in Mt. Washington, though, because online registration is closed. Organizers are out of race shirts but at the end of the event they are offering spiced wassail from Boordy Vineyards.

For more information, go to www.baltimorerunning.com or call 410-296-5050. 

Baltimore Sun file photo of the Coppin State University Cross Country team running through Druid Hill Park/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Local storeowner Shabdiece Esfahani believes that buying vintage is an inherently eco-friendly act. Earlier this year, she opened Diece Boutique in Fell’s Point, where she stocks vintage clothing that she purchases from local shops and then reconstructs on site. “At Diece,” she explains, “we keep everything in house. If you shop the boutique you will see that many of our re-made vintage pieces have personal stories tagged with them to give shoppers a glimpse of where the garment has come from and what it’s been through to reach our racks.”

From the beginning, Shabdiece’s vision has been rooted in sustainability. “In a matter of days [after purchasing the space] we overhauled the store using only what we had available from the previous store components,” she explains. “All of the fixtures were created by a local designer/architect out of locally sourced materials such as our shelves which came from Scarlet Place. The walls were painted with low VOC paints and our curtains were all made by hand. Basically the only ‘new’ items we purchased in our renovation were screws.”

A Maryland native, Shabdiece traveled and studied abroad for several years before landing back in Baltimore. Upon her return, she was immediately enthralled by the local art and sustainable creative scene. She says, “Since starting the store I have met not only young designers, but I have also reached out to local alpaca farmers as a source of sustainable materials for knitting and design work.”

In addition to its vintage pieces, Diece offers a large selection of work from local designers who use organic fabrics, natural dyes, and build furniture from what others consider trash. The shop also contains a monthly rotating art gallery.

This holiday season, Diece will open a satellite store in Harbor East that will feature locally made art, furniture, clothing, and jewelry.

If you're a local artist or designer who uses sustainable methods, visit Diece online to read about how you can get involved.

Image courtesy of Diece Boutique

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Marylanders, here's your chance this week to weigh in on the federal government's newly released draft strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies will be on hand at a pair of public forums in Baltimore and Salisbury to answer questions or take comments.

The first Maryland forum will be Wednesday (Dec. 2) at the National Aquarium, 501 E. Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore. The second will be Thursday (Dec. 3) at the Wicomico County Civic Center, 500 Glen Ave., in Salisbury. Each session will run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

In case you missed it, earlier this month, carrying out an executive order from President Obama, federal officials released a plan for asserting federal leadership in jump-starting the lagging bay cleanup effort. Among other things, the draft strategy proposes expanding and stiffening federal regulations to crack down on polluted runoff from farming and from new and existing development, but only if states fail to come up with equally effective measures for controlling such pollution.

The prospect of more federal rules and tighter government oversight has upset farmers and developers, who contend they're being unfairly singled out and say they fear being regulated out of business. Environmentalists, meanwhile, have voiced disappointment with federal officials' apparent willingness to wait for states to act, after more than 25 years of disappointing results from a largely cooperative state-federal cleanup "partnership."

For more on the plan, go here and here.

Federal officials say they'll be guided by public feedback as they revise their bay restoration plan and make it final in May 2010.  Marylanders who work in Washington or live in its suburbs may find the forum there on Tuesday, Dec. 2,  more convenient; it's to be held at the Penn Quarter Conference Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.  Other forums are planned later this month in  West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Those who can't attend a forum can still submit comments online through Jan. 8. To learn more about the plan, and to make comments online, go here.

And if you're so inclined, you can also submit video questions; record your inquiry in a clip of 30 seconds or less and upload it to YouTube with a tag of "chesapeakebayeo." Officials plan to air a selection of video questions at the forums and in an online Q&A with federal officials in January.

(Baltimore Sun file photo by Kenneth K. Lam) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The food police have gone snacking at BWI Thurgood Marshall and the nation's other busy airports and have not been so pleased with everyone's offerings in the health and veggie departments.

BWI ranked closer to the bottom of the 17 busiest airports for healthy fare. The two other DC area airports -- Dulles and National -- did worse.

BWI ranked 13th with just 71 percent of its restaurants serving at least one healthy meal. 

Detroit got a perfect score from the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine., which promotes preventive medicine and does clinical research. San Francisco got Most Improved. Diners there could easily find healthy, cholesterol-free vegetarian meals.  

The goup's dietitians examined food served at the nation’s busiest airports and found that 79 percent of the restaurants there now offer at least one low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian entrée. This is the first year (out of nine) that the report gave an airport a perfect score. That was Detroit's Metropolitan Wayne County.

“Greasy airport food is often as big a pain for travelers as long lines or baggage fees,” says Susan Levin, the group's director of nutrition education “Low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian meals can help prevent many common health problems, and healthy eating can even make passengers feel less frazzled.”

The group says meatless meals can decrease tension and improve mood.

The restaurants got a point if its menu included at least one low-fat, cholesterol-free vegetarian entrée. The group came up with the final score by dividing the airport’s number of restaurants serving health-conscious fare by its total number of restaurants.

The actual rankings are on the next page.   

Airport Ranking                                               Score   Healthy restaurants/total                        

1. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport --   100%    54/54
2. San Francisco International Airport --                94%    60/64
3. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport--         87%   54/62
4. Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport -- 86%   49/57
5. Newark Liberty International Airport --               85%   58/68
6. (tie) Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport --83%   50/60
(tie) Orlando International Airport --                     83%   39/47
7. (tie) Denver International Airport --                   80%  45/56
(tie) Los Angeles International Airport --               80%   45/56
8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport --           77%   75/97
9. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport --76%  65/86
10. Miami International Airport --                          72%  28/39
11. Baltimore/Washington International Airport --   71%  27/38
12. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport --   70% 23/33
13. (tie) Chicago O’Hare International Airport --      68%  64/94
(tie) Washington Dulles International Airport --       68%  23/34
14. Las Vegas McCarran International Airport --       66%  38/58

Baltimore Sun file photo of BWI food court/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Food
        

As if you need another reason to feel guilty about chowing down on Thanksgiving Day, consider this: researchers at the University of Manchester in England figure that a turkey-n-trimmings feast for eight produces approximately 44 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.  About 60% of that planet-warming gas comes from the life cycle of the turkey, alone. And that doesn't include drinks. 

Leave it to the Brits to rain on our traditions. But it was brought to my attention by the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, which wants Americans to lay off food produced by "industrial agriculture" for the sake of the planet, if not their health. 

"Choosing the type of food we eat - organic versus conventional meats and veggies, makes a great difference in greenhouse gas emissions,'' says Debi Barker, the center's international director.  About 14 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are connected to industrial agriculture methods, she contends, with much of those related to the use of chemical fertilizer on crops.  By one estimate, half of all methane emissions - another powerful greenhouse gas - come from concentrated animal feeding operations, she adds.

"Our take on that is to empower ourselves," Barker says.  "If you're buying organic, you're really taking a bite out of climate."

Not everyone agrees that organic is the best lifestyle response to concerns about climate change.  Mike Tidwell, head of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in Takoma Park, says the research shows that the best way to shrink one's carbon footprint in what you eat is to simply consume less meat.  Raising beef generates the most greenhouse gases by far, but farm-raised fish and fowl, including turkey, are "still high-impact," Tidwell says.

"While I respect the idea of being a locavore and getting all your meats organically and locally," he says, "the studies are emerging that whether the meat is grown locally or far away, it still requires a lot of resources, including carbon resources.... If you really want to have a low-impact diet in terms of change, then you just have to eat a lot less."  

With a singular exception, Tidwell practices what he preaches.  Though raised in the South and a professed lover of barbecue, he says he's gone vegetarian the past 10 years out of concern for the climate.

So what's Tidwell eating for Thanksgiving?  "You caught me, with my one exception," he answers. Turkey with cornbread stuffing and all the rest.  "We're eating at my wife's sister's house (in Easton),'' he explains.  "I'm not in control of it."

Not that he's apologetic, either.  "One day a year I wake up in the morning, and I consciously decide to eat meat, and that's Thanksgiving Day.  So .. I eat turkey, and I do not get cheated. I enjoy it.  But the rest of the year I'm a vegetarian."

If you could care less about climate change, there are other reasons to ponder the environmental footprint of your turkey treat.  For instance, it'll take at least 915,200 barrels of oil to produce and ship all the turkeys Americans eat, according to the Center for Food Safety. 

Moreover, there's the matter of all the nitrogen and nitrous oxide released into the environment by raising (and eating) fowl - nothing to cluck about here in Maryland, where the Chesapeake Bay is choking on all the uncontrolled nitrogen produced by our driving, our obsession with green lawns and our seemingly insatiable craving for cheap poultry.

But don't let that spoil your appetite.  On this one day, even the greenest of activists seems to relent a bit.  If they're okay with it, why not you?  So compost your table scraps if it makes you feel better, pardon a turkey for another meal and skip the heaping side dish of guilt this time.  Have a Happy (if none too green) Thanksgiving!

(Tribune, Baltimore Sun photos 2009)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Those numbers guys over at the Wall Street Journal did some crunching and some interviewing and some questioning and have decided that the claim that Americans eat 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving is bunk.

I can't link to the story because it's behind a pay wall. But the reporters say that the number is more likely a total for all of November, and that may even be overstating the number.

They refer to numbers from the National Turkey Federation, which reports Americans now eat 17.6 pounds per person a year -- still well behind chicken, beef and pork, but growing. And it cites numbers from IBISWorld USA, a research firm.

Then it compares to government data on consumption and concludes that if the Thanksgiving day numbers are true, then Americans are eating almost no turkey on other days between October and December considering that Americans ate less than 70 million Turkeys during the fourth quarter last year.

Not sure why there's a need to inflate the numbers, though it may just be an assumption that all turkey bought this time of year gets eaten during holidays only.

So, are you contributing? What are your meat-eating habits?

You declare November 26 Turkey Day and forsake the birds on all other days? You do some of your own presidential-style pardoning?

You going veggie this holiday? Got any good non-meat suggestions?

Chicago Tribune photo of turkeys

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fun facts
        

Older communities, long regarded as blighted and polluted, are beginning to change that image by ripping up some of their asphalt and concrete and giving the land a chance to breathe again.

 Little Edmonston, a working-class bedroom community on the outskirts of the nation's capital is the latest example of this greening of urban America. I wrote about the Prince George's County town's "Green Street" project in The Baltimore Sun today.  In this picture, the town's mayor, Adam Ortiz, shows how the community's busy main thoroughfare, Decatur Street, is being narrowed to make room for "bio-retention cells," aka trees and grasses to soak up polluted stormwater running off the streets and parking areas.  Standing behind him is Neil Weinstein, executive director of the Low Impact Development Center, which has been assisting the town with the project.

Besides soaking up damaging runoff, the native trees to be planted in the new strips between sidewalk and street also will help clear the air and provide shade and bird habitat. New, energy-efficient street lamps and bike lanes on porous pavers  will add to the makeover.

The construction is financed with a $1.1 million economic stimulus grant - one of seven "green" infrastructure projects in Maryland receiving a total of $3 million in funding through the Recovery Act. But the Edmonston project couldn't have been "shovel ready" without the assistance of a $25,000 design and engineering grant the year before from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Such retrofitting of older communities is vital, because most of them were built before anyone recognized that funneling rain water quickly from streets and parking lots into storm drains would ravage streams and pollute the Chesapeake Bay.  Baltimore and other cities and towns are beginning to grapple with how to do what little Edmonston is doing, but on a massive scale.  The cost is likely to run into billions of dollars, but Weinstein, who's also signed on to help Baltimore with its retrofits, says people need to start thinking of it more as an investment than a cost - an investment in cleaner water and more attractive neighborhoods. 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Like riding your bike? Like riding around the city? Want to make a point about being able to ride around the city? This critical mass bike ride Friday may be for you.  

From what I've learned, critical mass rides began in San Francisco years ago so riders could assert their rights to the road. The rides -- some regularly scheduled, some announced irregularly and last minute -- have sprung up around the country. Here's some more info on the rides in general.

Baltimore has already had a few. You may have noticed a bunch of riders in costumes just ahead of Halloween. Baltimore Spokes has posted information about the ride.

**Other good places to look for such rides, put on by Baltimore cyclists, and other info about the cycling community are blog.cyclosity.com and micacycling.net. **

Generally, more experienced riders will help out blocking intersections so everyone can stay together and get around okay. 

This meet-up is Friday, post-Thanksgiving. Riders are meeting at 7 p.m. at the Washington Monument.

**Someone involved tells me that the ride should be slow and reasonable for any skill level. It should last an hour or two. And don't forget to mind your cycling manners! This ride isn't for troublemakers.**

So, do you plan to go? What do you think of the idea?

Chicago Tribune photo of a critical mass bike ride there in September

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Events
        

This week's meatless recipe is a decadent dish from "Vegetarian Suppers From Deborah Madison's Kitchen." If you can't indulge this week, when can you?

Sweet-Potato Gratin With Onions and Sage

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons oil plus a little for cooking dish

1 large onion, chopped into 1/2 -inch dice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), thinly sliced

1 large handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1 plump garlic clove, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3/4 cup grated Gruyere or smoked mozzarella cheese (divided use)

1 to 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (divided use)

1 cup cream or half-and-half, warmed (milk won't work)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 2-quart gratin dish and put a moderately large pot of water on to boil. Put 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onion and sage. Cook, giving them an occasional stir, until soft and golden, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile peel the sweet potatoes, then slice them as thinly as you can manage. Salt the water, then drop them in. Allow the water to return to a boil, which may take a few minutes. Boil for a minute or until the potatoes are partly tender when pierced with a knife, then drain. Toss them with the onions, chopped parsley and garlic.

Scoop a third of the potato mixture into the prepared gratin dish and even the potatoes out. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the Gruyere and grate a little parmesan over the mixture. Repeat making one or two more layers, covering the last with a dusting of parmesan.

Pour the warm cream over all. Cover with foil and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the potatoes are soft and the gratin has browned, another 25 minutes of so. Let the gratin stand a few minutes before serving.

If you have a favorite vegan or vegetarian dish, email us with the recipe, source (if it's not your own) and photo (if you have one), and we may feature it in future posts. If we choose your recipe, we'll also send you a book related to vegetarian or green eating.

IStock photo

Posted by Kim Walker at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Contests, Food
        

Virginia is buying out the licenses of more than 350 of its crabbers, paying them anywhere from $500 to $175,000 each to give up their rights to harvest the Chesapeake Bay's iconic crustacean.

Jack Travelstead, fisheries director for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, said letters went out today (Nov. 20) accepting the offers of 359 holders of crabbing licenses. The commission had received offers to sell from 664 crabbers, roughly a third of all licensed crabbers in the state.

"I couldn’t be happier with the results,'' Travelstead said. "I am very pleased with the number of licenses we’ve been able to purchase."

Virginia had invited the state's 1,800 crabbing license holders to name their price, in a Priceline-style "reverse auction."  

Maryland made a similar offer last summer to nearly 3,700 mostly small-time crabbers, but rejected the nearly 500 bids it got, declaring they didn't get enough reasonable offers.   Only about a fourth quoted prices Maryland's Department of Natural Resources was willing to pay, with one apparent protest bidder demanding $425 million for his $60-a-year permit.  The state then offered a flat $2,260 to each crabber, and got about 530 takers - a better result, though still short of the state's goal of retiring more than 1,300 licenses.

Virginia got some sky-high bids as well, Travelstead said, with the highest bid topping $600,000 and the total tally on all the bids exceeding $30 million.  The bids accepted used up all $6.7 million in federal crab disaster funds the state had set aside for the buyback. 

Unlike Maryland, where fisheries officials said they thought some crabbers may not have grasped or trusted the reverse auction, Travelstead said he believed "most people understood how it was working" in Virginia.  The state gave its crabbers three months to respond to the buyback offer, compared with just a few weeks for Maryland's first try, and the bids really didn't start pouring in until the deadline loomed.

Travelstead said Virginia officials didn't simply take the cheapest bids, but weighed offers based on the number of crabpots each crabber was licensed to use, and how actively he or she had fished them.  All told, the buyback should trim the pressure on crabs in Virginia by 75,000 crabpots, which Travelstead figured represents 15 to 20 percent of the total number that could be put in the bay if all license holders put out the maximum permitted.

The state did accept buyback offers from about 140 of the 450 crabbers whose licenses had been frozen because they hadn't reported any catch for five years.  Acceptance letters went to about 60  full-time crabbers as well, and the rest to part-timers, Travelstead said.

Though pleased with the buyback result, Travelstead acknowledged it still would not shrink the crab fishery enough to ensure its long-term sustainability.   He estimated that Virginia's share of the bay's crab population would reliably support only about 200 full-time crabbers, but he said it would be "unrealistic" to try to reduce the number of licenses that much. 

"There just has to be a recognition that there are a lot of part-timers in this fishery," he said.  "They'll come and go, but they're a part of the fishery."

(AP Photo 2009)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, News
        

Attorney General Doug Gansler wants boaters to stop using the Chesapeake Bay as their toilet.

Speaking at a bay symposium Thursday at the University of Baltimore law school, Gansler said he plans to ask the General Assembly to declare the entire bay (or at least the Maryland portion) a no-discharge zone for boaters.

It's already illegal to dump raw sewage anywhere, and according to the Department of Natural Resources more than 300 marinas statewide have facilities where boaters can pump out their waste holding tanks and portable toilets.

"Most boaters do bring their tanks into the marina, and (the sewage) goes to the wastewater treatment plants," Gansler said. "But some don't." Some boaters also have "fancy heads," as he called them, which disinfect the waste but don't remove the nitrogen. Boaters with certain approved "marine sanitation devices," as they're called, are allowed to discharge their treated wastes.

The state now has two official no-discharge zones in areas heavily used by boaters - Herring Bay in Anne Arundel County, and the northern coastal bays in Worcester County.  Boaters in those areas are forbidden to dump raw or even treated sewage from their heads. Gansler said he would work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state lawmakers to expand the no-discharge designation to cover the entire bay.

Gansler, who has introduced an environmental bill in every General Assembly session since being elected, acknowledged that this measure wasn't as far-reaching as his previous legislative efforts. In prior years, he's pushed to ban phosphates in dishwasher detergents, to have chicken manure declared a renewable energy fuel and to give environmental and community groups legal standing to sue polluters. The first two passed, while last year's standing bill was watered down to give groups the right to challenge environmental permits, but not to sue to enforce the laws.

"We’re not going to fix the bay so its pristine after this," Gansler said, noting that boat waste discharges account for a tiny fraction (about 1 percent, he said) of the nitrogen contributing to the bay's dead zones. "But it’s something that’s very controllable,'' the AG added.

Gansler said that boaters he's spoken with favor his idea, and he suggested that it would have broad public support among non-boaters as well. What do you think?  Is the holding tank smell and pumpout hassle worth it for such a small source of the bay's pollution? Or is it the least boaters can do to help the bay that they depend on for recreation?

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I spotted this on the Baltimore DIY Squad blog:

2640 space on St. Paul will screen "Blue Gold World Water Wars" at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 19. The documentary by Food and Water Watch follows cases of people fighting for their rights to water. Visit 2640 space's web site for more info.

If you can't make it but still want to see the film, it's available on DVD.

Posted by Kim Walker at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Vegan Bloody Mary

On Friday, Nov. 20th (tomorrow), Baltimore Vegan Drinks will host their monthly social networking event at Dionysus Restaurant and Lounge in Mt. Vernon.

Baltimore Vegan Drinks is the local chapter of Vegan Drinks, whose mission is to bring together a diverse group of people to build new coalitions and promote the sharing of resources.

The event will feature a totally vegan menu, including a vegan Bloody Mary, Organic Crop Cucumber Martinis, specially made vegan Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Dionysus’ own Basilicious (Organic Crop Tomato vodka muddled with fresh basil and topped with soda water). The menu also includes vegan wines and microbrews. Yum!

For more information, visit the Baltimore Vegan Drinks web site or RSVP to the event via Facebook.

Image courtesy of Lauren Musselman

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Events, Food
        

Arthur Tuers recalls a day when the Chesapeake Bay teemed with oysters, crabs and clams, and the water was so clear you could "see your toenails" while standing in five feet of water. Now 79, he's been fishing and working around the bay since he was 10.

Tuers shares his recollections in this video shot by Matt Rath with the Chesapeake Bay Program . Some might see this as an emotional appeal to build public support for the costly, controversial push by the Obama administration and bay states to ramp up restoration efforts. Still, it's worth hearing how the bay used to be while pondering the price of trying to bring it back.

"People would not believe how it was back then," he says.

A look back with Arthur Tuers from Chesapeake Bay Program on Vimeo.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

Computing giant IBM announced in advance of a company-sponsored "Smarter Cities" forum here that it was helping researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County analyze smoke patterns in wildfires.

Catonsville-based UMBC is using IBM technology to help track wildfires in real time and make predictions about the spread of the blaze and health-threatening smoke. Such up-to-the-minute information would be useful to emergency responders in making decisions about evacuating people or issuing health warnings, according to the announcement.

What that has to do with "Smarter Cities," though, I'm not exactly sure - maybe an example of how business ties can keep university researchers employed?  

In any case, the Smarter Cities forum, also at UMBC, brings together local government and business leaders to brainstorm about how to improve the economy and quality of life in Baltimore. It's the latest in a series of such forums the company has held in cities across North America.  Besides talking about how to enhance health care, education and safety, they're scheduled to look at boosting green building and public transportation.

While ruminating over making Baltimore smarter, participants will hear about an IBM-assisted effort in neighboring Washington to improve the upkeep of its aging, leaky water and sewer infrastructure. Automated meter reading enabled by IBM technology has already reduced customer complaints about their bills, IBM reports in a press release.

The remote monitoring technology also should help the District water and sewer authority spot sewage leaks sooner after they happen and get them repaired more quickly, an IBM spokesman assured me. That's a plus for DC's degraded urban and suburban streams. Here's hoping IBM can perfect the system and offer it to Baltimore soon, since our city's streams and harbor are plagued as well by sewage leaks and overflows. 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, News
        

With international climate talks just a month away, the American Association for the Advancement of Science is hosting an art and educational exhibit at its Washington headquarters to help adults and children alike see what's at issue.

"Climate Change in Our World” displays five-foot high images and explanatory text depicting some of the climate-change effects already being seen around the planet. The photos are taken by award-winning environmental photojournalist Gary Braasch, who has been documenting climate change and its solutions for a decade.  The images are from a book by Braasch, Earth Under Fire. Pictured above are villagers huddled on an eroding island in Bengladesh.

Along with those images are others targeted at youngsters entitled: “How We Know About Our Changing Climate.” It contains photos from a young-reader science book of the same title co-authored by Braasch and Lynne Cherry. The book tells how scientists are observing changes in nature related to global warming, and explains how young people can learn more and take action themselves.

The exhibit also includes films produced by Cherry, "Young Voices on Climate Change." Pictured here is Clarissa Klein, a California Girl Scout in one of the films whose troop - in a switch from the usual cookie drive - distributed 5000 compact flourescent light bulbs door to door.

The exhibits are open for viewing starting today (Nov. 18) through March 15, 2010 in the gallery at the association's headquarters, 12th & H Streets NW (just north of Metro Center station), Washington, D.C. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.  But there's a special public opening reception today (Nov. 18) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

(Photos used by permission of Gary Braasch & Lynne Cherry)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Books, Events
        

Aiming to head off a budding bipartisan move in Congress to boost nuclear power, environmentalists took to the streets - and the Internet - to dismiss atom-splitting as too slow and costly to help fight climate change.

Environment Maryland released a new report Tuesday (Nov. 17) arguing that it would take a decade or more and cost upwards of $600 billion to build 100 more nuclear plants, as some have advocated to ease planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The group argues that the time and money could be better spent promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy such as wind and solar.

"Nuclear power would actually hurt our ability to stop global warming,'' said Mike Sherling of Environment Maryland.

The report, which you can read here, comes as two senators, Republican Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Democrat Jim Webb of Virginia, introduce a bill that would funnel federal funds and loan guarantees into reviving the nuclear power industry as well as promoting renweable energy.

“If we were going to war, we wouldn’t mothball our nuclear navy and start subsidizing sailboats," Alexander said. "If addressing climate change and creating low-cost, reliable energy are national imperatives, we shouldn’t stop building nuclear plants and start subsidizing windmills.” 

To highlight their objections, Environment Maryland and other activists staged a press conference (pictured above) outside the downtown Baltimore headquarters of Constellation Energy, which has applied for a permit to build a new, third reactor at Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. The press event drew a few lunchtime spectators, but the growl of traffic on busy Pratt Street often drowned out what they had to say.

(It should be noted that not all environmentalists oppose nuclear power.  Locally, the Maryland Conservation Council has endorsed Constellation's bid for a third reactor at Calvert Cliffs.  The group is concerned about industrial-scale wind and solar projects gobbling up land and wildlife habitat, and argues that nuclear power is safe and least expensive, for the amount of power generated.)

By coincidence, wind energy advocates were huddled nearby at the Pier 5 Hotel, conferring on how to boost the prospects for turbines atop mountains and offshore in the Mid-Atlantic region.  They have issues to overcome as well, including public resistance in some locales, and the inadequancy of high-tension transmission lines to convey the power from where it's generated to where it's needed.  This is an issue already in some western areas, but one of the speakers at yesterday's meeting said it was likely to be a concern in the East as well as more turbines get built. 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: News
        

Vegan banana bread

On Nov. 21, from 6-9 p.m., Earth Save Baltimore will host a Pre-Thanksgiving Vegan Potluck at the Learning Center of Your Prescription for Health in Owings Mills. The dinner will feature live music from local musicians Michael Harris, Norm Hogeline, Lorna Sampson and Don Robertson, and prizes will be awarded to the two best dishes of the night, one raw and one cooked.

A volunteer-operated nonprofit, EarthSave Baltimore’s mission is to educate people about the impact that food choices have on the environment and health, and to educate and support people in making the shift toward a whole food, plant-centered diet. The Baltimore chapter of the New York organization holds a monthly Dinner Ed series on the last Saturday, and other casual “veg” gatherings, including Vegetarian Friends (formerly Vegetarian Singles) at local veg-friendly restaurants, and potluck dinners at various local residences.

If you’re interested in attending the Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck, RSVP to earthsaverdon@hotmail.com. Guests are asked to bring a dish made without animal products to serve five times the number in their party, along with a donation of $5 (members $2). Or guests may attend without bringing a dish for a $12 fee (members $10). For more information, visit the EarthSave Baltimore web site.

Image courtesy of Crystl

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, Food
        

Two Mt. Washington couples who participated in a "home energy challenge" aired on NBC's Today Show are on course to save $500 to $1,000 in energy costs in the coming year, the network reports.

Betsy Ringel and Kirk Kolodner and Joan and John Goldman did some fairly simple, relatively inexpensive things, such as installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs, adjusting their thermostats and caulking and weather-stripping leaky doors, windows and crawlspaces.

In the video below, both couples say feel more environmentally conscious as a result of their conservation steps and are ready to do more.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

A couple new blogs about growth in "American in Miniatiure" have showed up in my emailbox lately.

One is "Smart Growth Maryland," written by members of the Maryland Department of Planning to offer insights and invite public dialogue about "smart growth," sustainable development, land conservation and the like.

"We might rarely think about it in these terms, but the places where we live, what it looks like, not just the homes but the communities and services that surround them, are the result of planning (for better or worse) long ago," writes Andrew Ratner in the blog's premier post, "No Time Like the Present."   Ratner's state planning's communications director and a former Baltimore Sun editor.

Another recent addition to the Maryland blogosphere is "The Progger," the rants and rambles of Assateague Coastkeeper Kathy Phillips as she prowls the land and water around Maryland's Atlantic resort. The blog's about the local coastal environment, but growth is a major focus.

Her latest post is "Worcester, Now and in the Future," taking off on recent development decisions there along the ecologically important coastal bays, with photos illustrating the connection between land and water.

Do you have any favorite or new "green" local blogs?  Please share.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The animal rights group PETA is out with a new list, and this time, a local eatery is ranked among the nation's best. (Maryland prisons and ballparks have made past lists.)

PETA says One World Cafe's vegan meatball sub sandwich is in the Top 10 best faux meatballs in the country.

The other winners were in states including California, New York and Massachusetts. But there was also one winner in Texas. They made soups, pastas and other meals out of their meatballs.

I couldn't find this item on One World's menu online. Maybe it's a special? Anyone had the One World creation?

Anyone know of other good places to acquire a good meatless meatball?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Food
        

DC is taking this bike to work thing seriously. Instead of just adding a lane for bikers, the city traffic folks have added a lane that is separated by a barrier so cars can't use it. It's just a pilot program, but could be expanded to other roads. So far, according to the local NBC affiliate, the lane is getting a good response from locals.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Urban Issues
        

Mark your calendars for the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance’s (CSBA) Green Monday, Dec. 7, from 6-9 p.m. at Clementine in Hamilton. Green Mondays are the CSBA’s monthly networking and educational events that bring together independently owned businesses and individuals working to reduce material and energy usage, recycle and reduce waste, and buy and sell locally. December’s meeting will feature local, biodynamic wine from Black Ankle Vineyards and “fancypants comfort food” from Clementine. To register, visit CSBA’s web site.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

With all the talk about vegetarianism becoming more common, we decided to feature recipes on B'More Green. We have plenty to choose from in Baltimoresun.com's recipe database, but we also want to hear from you. If you have a favorite vegan or vegetarian dish, email us with the recipe, source (if it's not your own) and photo (if you have one), and we may feature it in future posts. If we choose your recipe, we may also send you a book related to vegetarian or green eating. 

To kick things off, here's a recipe from our vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes page. 

 Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice, Apricots

1 large butternut or Hubbard squash
1/3 cup fat-free, reduced sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup toasted* bread crumbs
1/4 cup toasted* pine nuts, optional
1/3 cup chopped celery
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Halve squash and scoop out seeds. Set aside.

Pour broth into a 10-inch nonstick skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, 8 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, apples, apricots, sage, thyme and wild rice. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in bread crumbs, pine nuts, if using, celery, salt and pepper. Mound mixture over squash halves. Place on baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until squash shell is soft. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer or until stuffing is lightly browned. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Per serving (with pine nuts): 242 calories, 8 grams protein, 5 grams fat, 47 grams carbohydrates, no cholesterol, 159 milligrams sodium, 17 percent calories from fat.

Per serving (without pine nuts): 207 calories, 6 grams protein, 1 grams fat, 46 grams carbohydrates, no cholesterol, 158 milligrams sodium, 6 percent calories from fat.

*To toast nuts or bread crumbs: Spread in a single layer on separate baking sheets and toast in a 350-degree oven 5 to 10 minutes or until golden. Use a spatula to turn bread crumbs or shake the pan to turn the nuts.

 So speak up vegetarians. What are your favorite holiday dishes?

AP file photo

Posted by Kim Walker at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Food
        

Crabs, oysters and rockfish will be on the agenda, if not the menu, Thursday, Nov. 19 at a "Bay in Crisis" symposium sponsored by the University of Baltimore law school.

The focus of the day-long session will be on protecting and restoring the bay's native fish and shellfish populations. Speakers include: J. Charles Fox, the Environmental Protection Agency's senior advisor on the bay; Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler; scientists; regulators; activists, and yes, even a waterman.  To see the full agenda, go here.

The symposium will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, 1415 Maryland Avenue. (Directions here) The event is free and open to the public, but anyone wanting to attend is asked to RSVP by Monday, Nov. 16. You can register online here or call 410.837.4468.

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Glen Fawcett)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events
        

A seahorse and squid made of rope and Styrofoam won the grand prize at the eighth annual "Rethink Recycling" sculputre contest held by the Maryland Department of the Environment today.

The contest aims to encourage high schoolers to recycle by using trash to make art. The event is part of America Recycles Day, an annual effort to raise awareness of the benefits --social, environmental, and economic -- of buying recycled products and recycling.

First Lady Katie O'Malley awarded the prizes to the squid and seahorse, as well as a trash truck, baskets, a tree, and a peacock. There were more than 50 entries from 19 high schools in Maryland. The students used such items as VCR tapes, bottle caps, lawnmower wheels, cans, paper and cigarette butts.

“These sculptures are a testament to the value of art in educating the public, and they are a visual reminder of the need to recycle and to protect our environment,” O'Malley said. “I congratulate all of the participants for their creativity and ingenuity.”

MDE Secretary Shari T. Wilson said, "Reducing waste helps to protect our waters and the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to preserving natural resources and reducing pollution, recycling saves energy and reduces the greenhouses gases that contribute to climate change.”

Philip Custer, from Broadneck High School in Anne Arundel County -- and seen above in a photo courtesy of the MDE -- made his squid and a seahorse from rope, bottles, a mattress, pine cones, Styrofoam, wire and plastic bottles. He won a television and a Blue Ray player.

The category winners, who received Sharp Ipod Docking Stations, were:

•Creativity: Jeremey Drenner, Westminster High School, Carroll County, for a tree made with cigarette butts, newspaper and cardboard.

•Workmanship: Catherine Traini, Middletown High School, Frederick County, for a peacock made from cans, wire, and bottle caps.

•Use of Materials: Keeley Tober, South Carroll High School, Carroll County, for a trash truck made from lawn mower wheels, sheet protectors, skeet, paper, pipes, and VCR tapes.

•People’s Choice Category: Evan Callison, Northwestern High School, Prince George’s County, for working baskets made from posters and wire.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

It seems that Virginia's crabbers aren't exactly flocking to take buyouts from their state, either. As the Associated Press reports, more than 500 of the state's 1,850 commercial crabbers submitted offers to sell their licenses back to the state by the Nov. 1 deadline.

"I like being outside, and I just absolutely love catching things — absolutely love it," Joe Palmer, a 54-year-old waterman told the AP, in explaining why he didn't offer to sell his license.

Virginia has committed $6.7 million to buy out commercial crabbers' licenses, and invited them to name their price, using a method that has proven successful in reducing some other overworked fisheries. Maryland tried a similar "reverse auction" to retire relatively small-time crabbing licenses that hadn't been used in a while, but gave up after getting only about 500 offers to sell that quoted prices ranging up into the millions of dollars.

Maryland has since switched gears, offering to pay a flat $2,260 for each of the "limited crab catcher" licenses turned in. So far, state officials say, about 530 have responded to the latest offer, which remains outstanding. The 3,700 "limited crab catcher" licenses the state has issued allow holders to use up to 50 wire-mesh "pots" or traps and an unlimited amount of baited line. The state is moving to restrict the use of about 2,000 licenses that haven't reported any catch lately, to keep them from jumping back into crabbing as the bay's crab population rebounds.

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Glenn Fawcett)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, News
        

Miss trash or recycling day?

For those who missed trash or recycling pickup on Veterans Day in Baltimore City, officials have arranged for make-up collection this Saturday.  

Saturday is the automatic make-up day for all holidays that fall Tuesday through Friday.

So, don't let it all pile up. Put that trash and recycling out on Saturday morning.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

It seems that emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases took a dip in Maryland even before lawmakers in Annapolis agreed to reduce them.

Relying on federal data, Environment Maryland reports that carbon dioxide emissions in the Old Line State from burning fossil fuels declined 6 percent from 2004 through 2007. Maryland was in good company - 16 other states also trimmed their emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use in that time period, according to the environmental group's latest report.

The decline is interesting because it predates the recession, which experts say has dampened energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions because of reduced economic activity. The US Energy Information Administration, for instance, projects that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use nationwide are likely to be 5.9 percent lower this year than last.

Environment Maryland says the decline in carbon dioxide emissions in Maryland and other states shows that climate-warming pollution can be reduced without harming the economy.  The group is pressing Congress to pass legislation aimed at curtailing emissions nationwide while promoting energy efficiency and renewables.  Much of the debate in Washington is over how much that will increase the costs of energy and whether that will hurt the economy at a time when the nation is still grappling with high unemployment.

Environment Maryland suggests that carbon dioxide emissions dropped in states with policies and standards promoting energy efficiency.  Maryland, which ranks 10th in per capita carbon dioxide emissions, came in 12th in a 2008 rating of its policies by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a Washington-based advocacy group. 

But all that happened before Maryland lawmakers approved the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act this year aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions in the state, and even before the state approved EmPower energy-efficiency legislation in 2008 that was pushed by the O'Malley administration.  It was that bill aimed at achieving a 15 percent reduction in per capita energy consumption by 2015, that helped Maryland earn its relatively high ranking on energy efficiency.

I'm wondering if there weren't other factors at play in the 2004-2007 dip in CO2 emissions than a conscious attempt to improve energy efficiency or deal with climate change.  The decline apparently happened largely as a result of power plants switching from coal and oil to natural gas and other cleaner-burning fuels.  Could that switch have stemmed from government regulation of conventional air pollutants, which also are generated by burning fossil fuels, and big jumps in oil prices in the run-up to the recession?

Even if so, it's still noteworthy that climate-warming pollution dropped in Maryland and some other states while economic growth continued (albeit unsustainably). 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Air Pollution, News
        

Conservation and art take wing together this weekend at the 39th annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, for a three-day extravaganza celebrating the Chesapeake Bay's wildlife and outdoors heritage.

Starting Friday, Nov. 13, there'll be antique and contemporary decoys to view (and buy), plus paintings, photos and other arts and crafts, fly-fishing and retriever dog demonstrations as well as goose- and duck-calling contests. Besides the arts and crafts, there'll be food and music, plus outdoor gear for shoppers.

The event has raised more than $5 million in donations for wildlife conservation projects. Besides the good cause, it's quite a scene. Festivities begin at 10 a.m., and admission is $10 for all three days, with kids under $12 free.

For tickets or information, go here or call 410-822-4567.

(2004 Associated Press photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Buy local, Chesapeake Bay, Events, Shopping, Tips
        

Ah rainy days. They’re perfect for staying inside and crafting, with a cup of coffee or tea at your side. If you are in fact fortunate enough to not have to leave your house today, scrounge around for some plastic bags and have a go at craft diva Vickie Howell’s Waste-Free Wreath.

You will need:
16" wire wreath circle
35-40 plastic grocery bags
Empty cereal box
Star stencil
White craft paint & sponge brush
Craft glue
Glitter (she used Crafty Chica Chunky Glitter in goddess gold)
Rub-on letters
10" jewelry or florist wire
Scissors
Hole punch
1½" die cutter (or round object with a similar diameter to trace around)
38" x 7" piece of eco packaging wrap
38" x 7" piece of eco packaging wrap

Directions:
1. Cut the bottom and handles off of bags. Scrunch each grocery bag so it’s easier to work with and tie them onto the wire wreath circle. Fluff. Use plenty o’ bags so the circle is full.
2. Trim wild bag ends and make the circle semi-symmetrical. Save several of the cut-off pieces for later use.
3. Make a bow by folding the eco-packaging wrap in thirds. Pinch the center with your fingers and wrap wire around it to hold in place. Use tails of wire to attach the bow onto the wreath by wrapping it around the wire wreath circle. Snip off excess.
4. Cut open an empty cereal box so that cardboard is flat. Using a stencil, trace five stars onto plain side. Cut out stars.
5. Paint stars white. Cover with liberal amounts of glitter. Allow to dry.
6. Using either a die cutter or scissors, cut out five 1½" circles from the leftover cereal box cardboard.
7. To make letter medallions, follow the directions on the rub-on letter package. Spell PEACE by pressing one letter on the back of each cardboard circle. Or you can also use magazine letters; they’ll add another recycling element to your wreath.
8. Glue letter medallions to stars, then punch holes at the top of each one. Also punch holes in the wreath’s bag strands, where you want to attach your star ornaments. Tie finished PEACE stars using leftover pieces of bag.

Image courtesy of Vickie Howell

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: DIY
        

The Baltimore Running Festival people, like many other major race organizers, decided this was the year to really make an effort on the environmental front. And they just reported their final numbers from the race that drew 20,000 runners out for the day.

Here's the breakdown:

*75 percent of waste either recycled or composted;

*16,640 pounds of material recycled;

*2,200 pound of material composted;

*150 pounds of heatsheets recycled;

*162 pairs of shoes recycled through Soles 4 Souls;

*48.3 tons of carbon offset;

*3 hybrid and 1 electric vehicles used;

*210 gallons of biodiesel used;

*100 trees planted.

Runners also received new Under Armour shirts made from recycled materials.

So, anyone have any feedback? Did they do a good job? Anything more they could have done?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

You can't see them or smell them, but a toxic soup of chemicals used on farms, lawns and in personal care products is finding its way into the Potomac River and its tributaries, where it appears to be harming fish and may pose threats for people as well.

That's the warning from scientists and activists as they issued an annual report on the state of the "nation's river."  They renewed their call for government at all levels to take steps to curtail the use and release of "endocrine disruptors," powerful compounds that are linked to "intersex fish" in the Potomac.

Researchers first noticed fish in the Potomac with both male and female sex organs in 2002 while investigating a spate of fish kills there.  Abnormal fish have turned up in the river's South Branch and in the Shenandoah River in Virginia as well as in the Monocacy River in Maryland. 

Up to 80 percent of fish sampled have intersex conditions, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which mimic natural hormones in animals and people, have been detected at low levels throughout the watershed.  The compounds are widely used in livestock farming, in lawn care, and in personal care products like shampoos and skin lotions.

"I don't believe we're going to find one chemical or one source," said Vicki Blazer, a fish pathologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.  "What we're seeing is complex mixtures."  She added that in the area of the Potomac where she's been working, "we do feel agriculture is playing a major role, as well as suburban and urban runoff."

While studies have found relatively low levels of endocrine-disrupting compounds can interfere with reproduction and with disease resistance in fish and wildlife, the research has yet to pin down clear human health harm.  Advocates contend that's a result of too little scientific attention so far.

"Water treatment facilities are not yet required to screen for endocrine disrupting contaminants, so they end up in our tap water," said J. Peterson "Pete" Myers, chief scientist for nonprofit Environmental Health Sciences.  "We aren't sure exactly what level of exposure causes harmful effects to human health, but if the intersex fish phenomenon is any indication, there's a critical need for regulatory agencies and decision makers to start addressing this issue."

The Environmental Protection Agency recently pledged to reexamine dozens of widely used chemicals, including some endocrine disruptors.  But advocates want Congress to mandate more extensive analyses and controls on their use and release into the environment.

"These new pollutants, they don't set our rivers on fire, they don't wash up on our shore," said Hedrick Belin, president of the Potomac Conservancy.  "But this intersex fish thing is a clear signal that something is wrong.  It's time to take a much closer look at what's in our river water and in our drinking water."

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The missing Maryland darter is still AWOL. That's the word from biologists who've been scouring the lower Susquehanna River and its creek tributaries the last few weeks for the phantom fish, which hasn't been seen in 21 years.

Joined by a West Virginia biologist and his students with a specially equipped boat, Maryland scientists dragged the Susquehanna last weekend for the 2- to 3-inch fish, one of the rarest in the world. The searchers made 95 trawls using regular and electrified nets, according to Jay Kilian of the state Department of Natural Resources.

"We managed to catch every darter in the river," Kilian said. "Unfortunately,no Maryland darters came up."

Named for the only state in which it's ever been found, this bottom-feeding member of the perch family has been seen in just three creeks off the lower Susquehanna. It's only been found sporadically over the years, and hasn't turned up since 1978 (cx: 1988) despite repeated efforts to locate it. Scientists are reluctant, however, to declare it extinct until they've made a full-court press.

Researchers plan to make another intensive search of the river next spring, when the Marshall University team can return. In-state biologists, meanwhile, will keep checking Deer Creek and other tributaries, Kilian said.

"If it's out there, it's going to take more effort," the DNR biologist said. But after dragging the bottom so many times without success, he added, "it makes you wonder.''

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: News
        

A tip of the Secchi disk to Walter Boynton and Michael Kemp, veteran researchers with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, who were recently honored by their peers for their work in advancing understanding of water bodies like the Chesapeake Bay.

The pair received the Odum Lifetime Achievement Award from the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation at its annual meeting in Portland, OR. The award recognizes their individual as well as their collective research over the last 30 years.  Boynton, at right, and Kemp, below, produced more than 50 joint, peer-reviewed publications over that time, according to the university.

The recognition even drew the notice of Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who issued a press release congratulating the pair and said their work has helped provide the scientific foundation efforts to restore the bay.

"Their work is a perfect example of how sound science leads to sound policy," said Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin.

Boynton, in particular, has not been shy about sharing his scientific insights with policy makers. Only a year ago, on the 25th anniversary of the bay restoration effort, he joined with other bay scientists and advocates in publicly calling on state and federal officials to get more aggressive about cleaning up the bay, saying the traditional voluntary cooperative approach has not worked.  

(Photos by permission of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A new day, another environmental speaker. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., author, outspoken advocate and co-founder of the watchdog Waterkeeper Alliance, is speaking Wednesday night at Goucher College.

Kennedy, supervising attorney at Pace University law school's environmental litigation clinic and co-host of a nationally syndicated show on Air America Radio, will talk on "Our Environmental Destiny: How to Get There in Troubled Economic Times." He will speak at 8 p.m. at Kraushaar Auditorium.

A member of the famous political family, Kennedy helped start the waterkeeper alliance in 1999, and it now has nearly 200 participating groups, including several in Maryland. He is the author of four books and numerous articles on the environment and politics. His talk is free and open to the public, but tickets must reserved in advance by calling Goucher College at 410-337-6333 or by e-mailing boxoffice@goucher.edu

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Howard Ernst, author of a new critique of the Chesapeake Bay restoration, will speak at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 10) at the University of Maryland law school.

Ernst's new book is titled "Fight for the Bay: Why a Dark Green Environmental Awakening is Needed to Save the Chesapeake Bay."

In it, the associate political science professor at the Naval Academy assesses "how decision-makers in the environmental, political, and journalistic communities have failed the Chesapeake Bay, and what actions they must take to restore it.'' (Full disclosure: yours truly gets a mention, but I blog this because it's timely, with all the news lately about new plans for the bay cleanup.)

His earlier book was "Chesapeake Bay Blues: Science, Politics, and the Struggle to Save the Bay."

The talk is open to the public, but those wanting to attend should email Lisetta Silvestri of the Maryland Environmental Law Society at mels@law.umaryland.edu  to assure a seat.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

So the Obama administration has finally unveiled its plan for jump-starting the Chesapeake Bay restoration, and even environmentalists who had called for a stronger federal hand in the cleanup couldn't agree on the showing so far. Some smelled waffling in the feds' resolve to crack down on stubborn farm and storm-water pollution.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Doug Siglin called the feds' draft strategy " a step forward," but didn't exactly bubble over with praise. "All in all, we're pleased that the federal government is stepping up and creating a plan that cuts across federal agencies," he said in a brief telephone interview.

Environment Maryland's Tommy Landers, though, called the draft strategy "a step backwards" from the Environmental Protection Agency's suggestion in September that federal regulations should be expanded and stiffened on poultry and other livestock farms (aka "concentrated animal feeding operations") and on municipal storm water. In the announcement Monday, the feds said they'd give the states a chance first to beef up their pollution controls, and if their efforts were enough to meet water-quality goals, then EPA would hold off on new "bay-specific" rules.

"But states (have) proven themselves incapable of that over the past 25 years,” said Landers in a written release.

J. Charles Fox, EPA's senior advisor on the bay, defended the agency's stance, saying the restoration effort relies on a "close partnership" between the states and federal government. "We simply cannot succeed on our own," he said. With the possible exception of New York, he said, officials from the six bay watershed states have indicated a willingness to step up their efforts to reduce nutrient pollution enough to eliminate the bay's "dead zone."

Even so, Fox said, states would only have until June of next year to lay out how they propose to strengthen pollution controls. And the feds would then have until December 2010 to decide if the states are serious. That's the deadline EPA has set for completing a court-ordered "pollution diet" for the bay, imposing caps on nutrient pollution throughout the Chesapeake and its rivers that will then require state and local governments to crank down on sewage discharges, storm water and other runoff.

Still, with even green-leaning state officials like Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley expressing concern recently about his state's poultry farmers facing tougher regulations than elsewhere in the country, it remains to be seen how this plays out.

While some bay advocates seem willing to trust the Obama administration to follow through on its tough talk, others are pinning hopes on Congress approving new Chesapeake Bay legislation that explicitly authorizes federal and state regulation of polluted runoff from farms and urban and suburban lands - and that also requires the federal government to act if states stumble again.

Most of the witnesses at a Senate hearing Monday welcomed such provisions in the bay bill drafted by Maryland's Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin. A couple witnesses even suggested it could be a model for federal action in trying to protect and restore other threatened watersheds, such as the Gulf of Mexico or Great Lakes.

That prospect concerns others who distrust the federal government. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., issued a statement criticizing Cardin's bill as "heavy-handed" and "a raw deal" for rural residents. A bevy of farm groups submitted letters of concern, and a former EPA official, now a lawyer in private practice, contended that the expansion of regulatory authority in Cardin's bill was "unprecedented" and in some instances potentially unconstitutional.

Cardin, chairman of the subcommittee handling his bill, acknowledged the need to "tighten up" some of its provisions. But he insisted that the measure was drawn up in collaboration with state and federal officials, all of whom recognized a need to re-energize the restoration effort, which has repeatedly failed to meet cleanup goals.

"The bottom line is the bay is in trouble, and we've got to do a better job," Cardin said at the conclusion of the hearing. His bill, he said, is intended to "take the bay program to the next level."

The public will have an opportunity to comment on the draft federal strategy until Jan. 8. Federal officials then expect to refine the plan before finalizing.  To see the plan, and to comment, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Maryland ranks second from the bottom nationally in its spending of federal transportation funds on resources for walkers and bicyclists, according to a Sun story about study called "Dangerous by Design" just released by a coalition of groups led by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America.

It's also got a higher-than-average number of deaths of pedestrians on its roads.

A state official said the report doesn't count state money it spends on pedestrian-friendly improvements to its roads. And a Baltimore officials said local improvements have been made, but he acknowledged that the area has a long way to go.

According to the story, the report says Maryland ranks 49th among the 50 states in per capita spending of federal transportation funds on bicycling and walking projects. Maryland spends about 45 cents a person, compared with a national average of $1.46 and a high of $9.47 in Alaska. Virginia spends 22 cents and was the worst.

Here's the whole report.

Lots of attention has been paid on this blog about how unsafe it is to bike around the city and state. Think it's safe to even walk?

Baltimore Sun file photo of an pedestrian-unfriendly sidewalk on Sinclair Lane

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

The newest addition to publisher STC Craft’s legacy of books that explore how crafting can change the world is Katherine Bell’s Quilting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time. A sequel to STC’s Knitting for Peace, Quilting for Peace contains profiles of more than 25 individual crafters and organizations whose creative efforts are done with an eye towards serving those in need. Though its focus is on quilting, the book also highlights other handmade goods that are produced in the spirit of change. For example, Newborns in Need produces clothing for prematurely born babies; The Sleeping Bag Project annually distributes handmade sleeping bags to more than 100,000 homeless; and Quilts of Valor makes quilts in honor of wounded soldiers.

In Quilting for Peace, Bell includes 15 quilting projects using new and/or recycled fabrics with easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations. So, after you’ve found some inspiration in reading about how others are making the world a better place with their own two hands, you can to do the same, one stitch at a time.

Quilting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time is available at Amazon.

Images courtesy of STC Craft

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: DIY
        

Some students from Washington College visited Fort McHenry last week.  But it wasn't your ordinary history field trip.

The youngsters from the Eastern Shore campus were visiting Baltimore as part of an interdisciplinary study of the Chesapeake Bay -- its history, ecology and culture. 

The class of 11 got a close-up view of urban environmental issues, hiking through the small restored wetland beside the fort, and seining on the postage-stamp sandy beach there.

"There's a lot of trash here," Liz Shandor, a junior from Annapolis, said as she surveyed the debris floating in the water and lining the beach.  Indeed, the students' biggest "catch" in the net was a submerged, mud-filled plastic toolcase.

The day before, the class had visited Masonville cove to learn about efforts to restore a stretch of degraded industrial waterfront. Then they spent some time at the National Aquarium.  Earlier this fall, the class did a circuit of the bay, from the Virginia capes to Jamestown and Williamsburg, Richmond, St. Mary's City and Annapolis.

As a longtime Marylander, Shandor said she'd been to many of the spots the class visited before, but this was a new perspective.

"I never really appreciated the Bay until I'd been in this class," the junior said. "I feel like I'd never really known my backyard before."  An anthropology major, she said she'd like to delve deeper into the declining culture of the bay's watermen.

Anthropology Associate Professor John Seidel, director of the Chesapeake Semester, said the program tries to broaden students' appreciation of the bay and its woes.

"The problem with the bay is not a lack of science," he said. "It's a human problem, a social problem."

For more on the college's Chesapeake Semester, go here.

(Photo by Michael Hardesty, Chesapeake Semester program manager)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

Now that Halloween is over, the upcoming holiday season has already begun to blossom in stores nationwide, and with that comes the inevitability of gift giving. Every year around this time, I make a promise to myself that I will not wait until the last minute to do my holiday crafting of gifts. Maybe you're the same way, and if you are, here is a perfect opportunity to keep that promise:

Local mosaic artist Cinder Hypki is hosting a mosaic workshop at her studio in Upper Fells Point tomorrow, November 7, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. During this one-day intensive workshop, Cinder will teach participants the tools of the trade, the materials, and the basic concepts of mosaic art. Cinder has plenty of ready-to-go projects from which to choose, or you can bring your own materials with you. The cost for the workshop is $65 (quite a deal!) and it includes a continental breakfast. Just be sure to bring your own lunch.

And, if you happen to miss this workshop, no need to worry because Cinder will be hosting a holiday mosaic workshop on December 5th.

TO REGISTER: 410-961-7816 or cinderart@mac.com. To read more, visit Cinder’s web site.

'Starry Night' mosaic by Cinder Hypki. Image courtesy of the artist.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: DIY
        

It's one thing to talk about what's wrong with the Chesapeake Bay and why it's worth preserving, but it really helps to see what you're talking about. In this video, produced by What's Up, a lifestyle and entertainment magazine in Annapolis, Derek Rodgers, a graduate student studying environmental science at Towson University, shares some insights on the bay's values and its woes.

If anyone else has done videos about the bay or local environmental issues they'd like to share, please send us links.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

There's a lot of talk these days about what it'll take to restore the Chesapeake Bay, and farming is in a bit of a hot spot. A group concerned about the environmental impacts of "industrialized" farming plans to hash the topic out at a seminar on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Jarrettsville.

The event, sponsored by Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens Group, features environmental activists, a pair of farmers as well as a former chicken grower, and a state legislator, Del. Wayne Norman, R-Harford County. The seminar runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jarrettsville Gardens, 3825 Federal Hill Road, Jarrettsville.

The session is free, with lunch provided, but those interested in attending are asked to phone ahead to reserve space (and food?). Call Maria at 717-456-5800.

(2002 Baltimore Sun photo by David Hobby)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The leaves may be falling like mad, but it's not too late to plant another tree. Weekend arborists who show up Saturday morning (Nov. 7) at DeWees Park in North Baltimore can pick up a free seedling, courtesy of a new partnership between the city and Constellation Energy. Red oak, willow oak, redbud and river birch can be had for the asking.

The power company has pledged to kick in $300,000 over the next three years to help increase Baltimore's tree canopy through plantings and tree maintenance in neighborhoods and at schools. TreeBaltimore, as the effort is known, is part of Mayor Sheila Dixon's Cleaner, Greener Baltimore initiative. It aims to double the city's tree canopy within 30 years.

The tree planting/giveaway takes place from 9 a.m. to noon, with a ceremony at the outset celebrating Constellation's partnership. The park is at 5501 Ivanhoe Avenue, 21212.  For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Maryland Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin joined 10 other Democrats today in voting to send a climate-change bill to the full Senate for debate.

Despite a boycott by Republican lawmakers, Cardin and other Democrats controlling the Environment and Public Works Committee finished marking up the bill and voted 11 to 1 to report it to the floor. 

Its official title is Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, but besides promoting alternative and renewable fuels it promotes a "cap and trade" scheme for curbing emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other so-called greenhouse gases that scientists say are changing the planet's climate.

Cardin, who's said to be weighing attending the United Nations climate-change treaty talks in Copenhagen, Denmark in December, called the legislation good for the country, for the world, and even for Maryland.  The state is a leader, the senator said, in developing alternative and renewable fuels.  (He might get some argument from advocates of wind power.)

Despite the committee's quick action, it's considered highly unlikely that Congress can tackle and pass the complex energy and environmental legislation in time for the climate talks in Denmark that begin Dec. 7.   Still, Cardin said in a statement his office released that other countries won't commit to curbing their greenhouse gases unless they see that Congress is serious.  The committee vote was essential to demonstrate "that the Senate is making progress," he said.

"We have an urgent responsibility to act," Cardin said, adding that if action is not taken, there could be irreversible catastrophic climate change that could jeopardize the availability yof water, food and fuel for all.  "We will face a world that's less diverse, less beautiful and less secure," he concluded.

(2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

We B'More Green bloggers got this message below from reader Deanna. Anyone have ideas?

Now that my attention has turned to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I started taking inventory of my current stock of items. I have been storing away old Xmas cards for 10 years now. Online search consistently show St. Judes Ranch as a place to donate these cards. I would rather donate them to a local charity if at all possible. Do you know of any who can use them?

Fellow B'More Green blogger Christy Zuccarini offered this:

You might consider donating your cards to Art With a Heart -- they're a local nonprofit that provides interactive, hands-on activities to disadvantaged families and children, and to people with developmental and physical challenges. Many of the arts and crafts they make they end up selling for profit. You can email them at info@artwithaheart.net.

Anyone else know of a local charity?

Shutterfly launches 'support a cause' holiday cards/Associated Press

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Tips
        

Plan your escape now to the lush tropics of Alejuela, Costa Rica for the eighth annual Winter Rejuvenation Yoga Retreat at Pura Vida Wellness, led by Baltimore’s own Joseph Roberson (known around town as Yoga Joe). Founder and owner of Sanctuary Yoga, Joe is a lifelong artist and yoga practitioner. This year, he’ll be joined by another local, Ashley Litecky of Deep Green Wellness. Together Joe and Ashley will lead this seven day retreat which includes yoga classes, jungle meditations, holistic nourishment classes, personal mantras, devotional singing, healing with greens and grains, and much more.

On Sunday, November 8, Joe and Ashley will host an information session about the retreat from 2:00-3:30pm at Sanctuary Yoga in Baltimore. For more information visit www.sanctuaryyogacenter.com and click on Costa Rica Retreat OR call Joseph Roberson at 443.919.1290.

Image courtesy of Sanctuary Yoga

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Republican Robert McDonnell's election as governor of Virginia on Tuesday has some worrying it could spell trouble for cooperation among states and federal government to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

Mark Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, was quoted in a story by the Capital News Service suggesting that a conservative Republican administration in Richmond could undo Virginia's recent cooperation with Democrat-controlled Annapolis and the Obama administration in Washington on adopting stronger environmental regulations and spending more to restore the bay.

Neither McDonnell nor his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds spoke much about the bay during the campaign, it seems. But the Capital News Service reports that McDonnell mentioned the watermen's plight in his victory speech Tuesday night, though he didn't elaborate.

McDonnell's campaign Web site portrays him as a strong supporter of the bay and the environment. It says he supported several bay initiatives, including a tax refund for contributions toward restoring the Chesapeake and a ban on ban on phosphate diswasher detergent.

"Bob McDonnell is committed to working with the other Chesapeake Bay states to continue responsible policies to protect and improve the health of the Bay," his campaign site says, "including making every effort to meet the goals for the nutrient reduction outlined in the Chesapeake Bay agreement signed in 2000."

There's no mention, though, of going beyond the 2000 agreement, which all states now acknowledge they won't fulfill by next year's deadline.

(Associated Press photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

First the national press casts a harsh spotlight on Baltimore for its pollution - now it's the Bay.

National Geographic Traveler included the Chesapeake Bay for the first time in its sixth annual ranking of the world's "great places." Heady stuff, to get mentioned alongside iconic spots like the Galapagos, Yellowstone and Venice. Unfortunately, the bay and environs get tagged in the November-December cover story as a great place in big trouble.

"Local historic sites are well preserved, but shopping centers and subdivisions obliterate local character," says the travel mag, based on a survey of 437 "well-traveled experts" in sustainable tourism.

Here's what one of the experts had to say: "One of America's iconic landscapes, but the bay is dying, both as a natural ecosystem and as a cultural landscape. Almost all indicators of the Bay's health are negative. Is it any wonder, given the rampant sprawl, agricultural runoff, and booming population growth in the watershed?

"Maryland has done a relatively better job than Virginia," the unnamed expert added, "due to its aggressive land-preservation program and smart growth policies, but both are lacking."

For more, if you can stand it, go here. 

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here's a listing where you don't want to be No. 1.  Forbes.com, which is fond of doing lists, has come up with "America's most toxic cities."  The business news site has ranked the nation's 40 largest metro areas by the dirtiness of their air and water, the number of places spewing toxic pollution and the number of Superfund hazardous waste dumps.

Atlanta earns the dubious distinction as forbes.com's most toxic city.  It lacks the smokestack industries one might typically associate with pollution, but the sprawl capital of America has some of the worst air quality, thanks to all the motor vehicles cruising its spaghetti bowl of pavement.

Following Atlanta are Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Where's Baltimore? It ranks 32nd on the forbes.com list.  But that doesn't mean Charm City is all that clean, because oddly the list is in reverse order, with cleanest on top and dirtiest at the bottom.  When the list of 40 is flipped to rank the most toxic first, B'more comes in 9th. Not such a green showing. 

One has to wonder if forbes.com hasn't piled on a bit, though.  It lists 37 Superfund sites in Baltimore, when the Environmental Protection Agency only counts 11 in the city. The total doubles when the suburbs are included, but that's still well short of the figure used in the rankings.

But hey, look on the bright side.  Baltimore is only slightly worse than Portland, Oregon (#31, or 10th most toxic) often regarded as one of the crunchiest green places in the country.

Seem like a fair ranking to you?  Or a bad hit?

(2007 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Help youth program, remember a fallen cyclist.

The Tour de Greater Homewood this Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. will honor John R. Yates, a cyclist who died in a hit-and-run accident at Maryland and Lafayette avenues in August.

Ogranizated by the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, the ride will benefit its  youth programs, for which Yates advocated. There is a suggested donation of $10 for ride participants.

For more details about the tour, including route information go to www.greaterhomewood.org.

Yates joined the GHCC's board of directors in 2004 and served as Secretary. Jack also worked as an educational consultant at the Abell Foundation, and later served as a mentor for Lake Clifton High School’s Educational Opportunities Program, where he counseled graduates of the Baraka School, of "Boys of Baraka" fame. 

The GHCC says its mission is to help neighborhoods in north central Baltimore City to become safer, better places to live. It serves 48 neighborhoods with a combined total of approximately 70,000 residents, or nearly 10 percent of Baltimore City’s population.

Baltimore Sun photo of a "ghost bike" installed in memory of Yates/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Our colleagues at the Picture of Health blog are reporting that the big beef recall includes Maryland.

Fairbanks Farms has voluntarily recalled about a million pounds of beef that was sold at Trader Joe's, Giant and BJ's.

New York beef manufacturer Fairbanks Farms has issued a voluntary recall of a little more than half a million pounds of ground beef. The recall affects states from Maine to North Carolina. Someone has already died in New Hampshire and others were sickened in other states after eating the beef contaminated with the bacteria E.coli.

The products include ground beef, meatloaf and meatball mix. They call sell-by dates from Sept. 19-28. Here are the details from Fairbanks Farms. And here's a list of the products from the USDA.

If you have doubts, call the store where you bought the meat. Or just pitch it.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: News
        

Emily’s Café and Desserts is now officially open. Located on Springarden Drive, Emily’s is Baltimore’s first vegan dessert company manufacturing with 100% wind power. “My goal with this business is to make great tasting desserts that everyone will know and love,” says owner and founder Emily Mainquist. She adds, “The way that I look at it is for every vegan dessert eaten that is one less dessert that has eggs and dairy in it.”

A lifelong love of baking and stalwart dedication to veganism is behind every “cruelty-free” cookie, cake, doughnut, pizza, and pretzel rod at Emily’s. The cookies, for example, contain no animal ingredients, and are sweetened with evaporated cane juice and organic Blue Agave. They’re also cholesterol-free.

Until now, Emily’s Desserts have been available on her web site, at Whole Foods, Roots Market, and Wegmans. But at the new brick-and-mortar location, customers can enjoy a vegan breakfast and/or lunch before filling their bellies with delectable cakes and cookies. The menu includes vegan pancakes, tofu scramble, soy yogurt, lentil burgers, grilled cheese, and much more. So go pay her a visit and see for yourself how Emily’s Desserts is baking the world a better place one cookie at a time.

Image courtesy of Emily's Desserts

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Washington Post has a story today about the climate bill that is winding through the Senate right now. And the chances of passage are not looking so good because Democrats are split and Republicans are largely opposing the measure.

The the House version that has already passed, this bill is likely to include a cap and trade provision that allows a certain amount of carbon dioxide and those who do not or can't comply with limits can buy credits from those who are complying.

The Dems have even thrown in an incentive to get Republican support: expedited approval of new nuclear power plants. That, the Post says, may not be enough.

Meanwhile, the New York Times had a story Sunday about how new technology to cut emission may be best suited not for coal plants, often seen as the main offender, but for other kinds of plants. At coal plants, the story says, the carbon dioxide is mixed with other pollution and it's tough to separate them.

Engineers and policymakers say it may be easier to capture the carbon dioxide at oil refineries, chemical plants, cement factories and ethanol plants because their emissions are purer. 

Baltimore Sun file photo of Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in Southern Maryland

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: News