CitiesGoGreen - January 2009 - (Page 9) In Motion The Greening of New Orleans Nonprofit groups are helping rebuild New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward with energyefficient, green homes. The Make It Right Foundation, founded by actor Brad Pitt, is building 150 energy-efficient homes to replace some of those destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. One cluster of homes nearing completion features solar panels, permeable concrete walkways, hurricaneproof windows and geothermal systems. Concrete columns raise some homes off the ground to protect against future floods. Architect William McDonough is a key consultant, and holds that buildings can be energy self-sufficient without harming the environment. A mile down the road, the first of five energy-efficient homes planned by Global Green’s Holy Cross project is complete. The roof has 28 solar panels; the interior features low-flush toilets, double-paned windows and non-toxic paint. The Holy Cross project will also include an apartment complex and community center. Both projects expect energy bills for residents to decrease substantially as a result of the energyefficient construction. Graphic courtesy MakeItRight.org Speedbump for New Coal Plants Planning for most new coal power plants in the US has been at least slowed by a ruling of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Appeals Board in response to a suit brought by the Sierra Club. A Sierra Club attorney says this decision will affect up to 100 plants. CO2 was ruled a pollutant by the Mass. v. EPA Supreme Court decision, so the Appeals Board ruled the EPA must require new coal-fired power plants to use Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for CO2, as it does for other pollutants. The EPA must now determine what BACT means in relation to CO2, which will take at least a year. While Joanne Spalding, Sierra Club Senior Attorney on the case, in a press release, said “This decision gives the Obama Administration a clean slate to begin building our clean energy economy for the 21st century,” political manueverings to weaken the decision continue at the state and federal level. Photo © SnapHappy - fotolia.com Communicating with Global Warming’s “Six Americas” From the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication and the Yale Project on Climate Change comes a study of attitudes on climate change, Global Warming’s “Six Americas” (pdf ) It also has useful communications recommendations on both message and media. The groups are the Alarmed (19% of the population), Concerned (22%), Cautious (20%), Unconcerned (12%), Doubtful (16%), and Dismissive (11%). Surveys were conducted in the summer of 2007, and the authors warn that much, including the new president’s attitude toward climate change action, could affect people’s attitudes. Interestingly, the Unconcerned are more willing to take more actions than the Cautious. Good tactics for the first several groups include emphasizing that personal action really matters, at home and politically, along with how to make a difference. Many see effects as being a decade or more away and somewhere else, so pointing out the here-and-now effects is important, as is overcoming the “controversy among scientists” misconception. 9 A study divided the US population into six groups based on differing attitudes toward climate change. Each responds to different messages. January 2009 http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/january-2009/inmotion/the-greening-of-new-orleans http://www.makeitrightnola.org/index.php?isDirect2=true http://www.makeitrightnola.org/index.php?isDirect2=true http://www.globalgreen.org/neworleans/ http://www.globalgreen.org/neworleans/ http://www.mcdonough.com/ http://www.MakeItRight.org http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/january-2009/inmotion/speedbump-for-new-coal-plants http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2008/11/14/epa-appeals-board-strikes-down-construction-of-new-coal-fired-power-plant http://www.fotolia.com http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/january-2009/inmotion/communicating-with-global-warmings-six-americas http://www.climatechangecommunication.org/ http://www.climatechangecommunication.org/ http://environment.yale.edu/climate/ http://www.climatechangecommunication.org/images/files/SixAmericas-final-v3-Web.pdf http://www.CitiesGoGreen.com
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