California approves $350 million in rebates for solar water heating installations
Novato-based SolarCraft, the North Bay leader in Solar Electric and Solar Thermal installations, is pleased to announce that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved a $350 million dollar rebate program to encourage state residents and businesses to install solar water heating to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Combined with the current 30 on the cost of solar domestic water heating installations. The program’s goals are to see over 300,000 systems installed over the next 8 years, saving California residents nearly 6 million cubic feet of natural gas and 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, while creating thousands of jobs.
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California approves $350 million in rebates for solar water heating installations
Great Lakes’ Asian Carp Crisis Deepens
Concerns about Asian carp invading the Great Lakes have already prompted states to sue each other before the U.S. Supreme Court and led to plans for a White House summit. But those worries were ratcheted up even higher this month with the discovery of Asian carp DNA in Lake Michigan’s Calumet Harbor. The environmental DNA (known as eDNA — more on that later) had already been found in multiple spots between Lake Michigan and the electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal designed to block the voracious invaders and keep them from ravaging the Great Lakes’ ecosystem. With the latest discovery, environmental groups have renewed their calls to sever (ecologically speaking) the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River watershed. The two systems were linked by canal more than a century ago so that Chicago could dump its sewage, diluted with Lake Michigan water, into the Mississippi River and keep the Great Lakes clean. The most effective ecological separation, at least in the short term, would involve temporarily closing the locks between the canals and Lake Michigan and erecting barriers in other waterways without locks in order to impede the carp’s progress. In December, Michigan filed a lawsuit backed by other states demanding emergency closure of the locks until a permanent means of ecological separation can be found. Officials fear for water quality and the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry if the invaders reach Lake Michigan. Asian carp have damaged every U.S. waterway they’ve entered, outcompeting native species as they voraciously vacuum up plankton, and injuring boaters with their propensity for powerful leaps out of the water. But on January 19, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Michigan’s request for immediate action without explanation, leading two lawmakers from the state, Republican Congressman David Camp and Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow, to introduce the CARP ACT, which stands for Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today. It seeks the emergency closure of the locks and additional underwater barriers. The Supreme Court could still act on a broader aspect of Michigan’s request, which demands an end to the so-called "Chicago diversion" of Lake Michigan water. That suit was filed by Great Lakes states in 1922. In its decision at the time to leave the waterway intact, the Supreme Court left open the possibility that it could change its mind if the diversion were shown to cause harm. Michigan resuscitated the suit in December, in the face of strong opposition from the state of Illinois and industry groups that claim closing the canal would hamper shipping and flood control. Skeptics question whether the DNA that’s raising alarm bells could have been transported past the barrier on boats or barges or through Chicago’s sewer system. The Army Corps of Engineers has noted that no actual Asian carp have been found past the electric barrier. But scientists with the Nature Conservancy and University of Notre Dame, who developed the eDNA test, say the discovery of DNA in multiple tests means that Asian carp have indeed breached the barrier. Fish slough off DNA in scales, feces, urine, and mucus. Since last summer, scientists have taken hundreds of 2-liter water samples from the canals, rivers, and harbors connected to Lake Michigan. They can amplify bits of DNA taken from the biological material in the water samples and compare them with Asian carp DNA. David Lodge, the director of Notre Dame’s Center for Aquatic Conservation, says scienctists don’t know how long the DNA stays in water, and the tests can’t tell them how many fish might be in a particular lake or river. "It’s a pretty blunt instrument at the moment," Lodge says. "All it tells us is there were fish here." In the case of the Great Lakes, even that small indication is enough to make officials sweat. The Asian carp crisis has now made it all the way to the Oval Office (which is currently occupied by a Chicagoan, after all). President Obama’s top environmental advisor recently proposed an "Asian carp" summit with Great Lakes governors in early February, and state attorneys general are demanding invitations. The White House has called Asian carp a serious threat — but so far has supported Illinois in the dispute. Closing all of the Chicago-area locks would entail cooperation from the federal Army Corps of Engineers, as well as state and municipal governments. NRDC Midwest program director Henry Henderson said policymakers should take this opportunity to re-engineer an outdated shipping system that is economically inefficient and environmentally dangerous. NRDC recommends replacing the canals with a new intermodal facility that would transfer cargo from barges and ships to trucks, trains and other barges. "Looking at Asian carp as the problem instead of the alarm bell unnecessarily truncates the solution," Henderson said. "It’s not like two species of Asian carp are the problem — this 19th century canal system has been revealed to be unambiguously a highway for invasive species."
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Great Lakes’ Asian Carp Crisis Deepens
Celebrating a "Green" Seder
The Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, which starts at sundown Friday, has been celebrated for 2,000 years. The Holiday of Trees is big in Israel, but among many American Jews, the celebration is just starting to catch on, reflecting a contemporary urge to live more harmoniously with the natural world. In ancient times, Tu B’Shevat (pronounced "too bish vat") marked the beginning of Israel’s growing season. In the 17th century, the mystical Kabbalist sect (whose adherents now include Madonna) created a Tu B’Shevat feast modeled on the Passover seder. American Jews are now creating their own "green seders" for the occasion, combined with activities that support environmental causes. Here’s more about the holiday, its history, and how you can celebrate it: What’s a "green seder?" Participants at a Passover seder retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, reading from a traditional liturgy (of which there are many versions and variations). There is no existing liturgy for the Tu B’Shevat seder, which means that almost anything goes. "It’s allowed for a lot of creativity," says Jill Jacobs, a Jewish educator in Irvine, Calif. "It’s a great do-it-yourself holiday." Still, most Tu B’Shevat seders adopt elements of the one created by the 17th century Kabbalists: for instance, drinking four cups of wine, starting with white, representing winter, and ending with red, symbolizing the ripe fruits of the fall harvest. Modern green seders also tend to follow the Kabbalists’ custom of enjoying different types of fruits at various times during the meal - for example, fruits with shells (such as walnuts) and fruits with an inedible pit (such as dates). What’s the modern spin on the Tu B’Shevat seder? In Savannah, Ga., Congregation Agudath Achim introduced a green seder four years ago to celebrate the opening of a recycling center. Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C., is holding its first Tu B’Shevat seder this year, which will focus on global warming. In San Francisco, EcoJews of the Bay and other groups will sponsor their third-annual green seder, featuring singing, speakers on environmental topics, and compostable dishware. What are the roots of Tu B’Shevat? You won’t find it in the Bible. The holiday celebrates the beginning of spring in Israel, and, traditionally, marked the day from which to determine a tree’s age so that its owner could properly tithe. Depending on the age of a tree, a certain proportion of its fruit was given to, say, priests or the poor. Although Tu B’Shevat has long been a minor holiday, it took on new significance during the 19th and 20th century movement to create a Jewish homeland. After 1948, planting trees was a symbol of Israel’s founding as well as a sort of Jewish Arbor Day - a time to recognize the dependence of the Jewish people on their land. American Jews began to celebrate Tu B’Shevat in the 1970’s, during the rise of the environmental movement, but only recently has it become a part of more mainstream congregations. "There’s a growing ecological consciousness in the Jewish community - a lot of concern about global warming, our energy policy, and energy security," says Sybil Sanchez, director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. The Tu B’Shevat seder "is a way of feeling a positive connection to the planet, rather than just worrying about it." Do other religions have similar holidays? In Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism, "Rogation Days" are making a comeback, according to John Grim, a senior research scholar of comparative religion and ecology at Yale University. Around Easter, prayers are said for the health of the earth and those who work the land. There are also Hindu, Native American, and various indigenous religions that infuse appreciation for nature into particular days of observance.
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Celebrating a "Green" Seder