“Green is Universal”

KNTV NBC 11, San Francisco’s NBC affiliate located in San Jose, California, has offset its electricity with 100 percent certified energy certificates, according to station officials. The television station uses power off the main power grid that everyone else uses, but replaces all of that electricity through the use of wind farms.NBC 11 launched a new campaign called “EcoLogic.” The campaign is designed to teach the station and the viewers the ways to stay environmentally friendly.NBC 11 is owned and operated by NBC Universal, which had a November sweeps promotion centered around going green. NBC Universal, though not promoting it as strongly as in sweeps is still doing a number of different stories on how to go green in our daily lives.

The title of this post, “Green is Universal” is the slogan for NBC Universal’s initiative to make us all aware of the environment. You can read more from NBC Universal on my blogroll to the right.

Shopping Stress Relieved

Okay, we all go shopping. We all try to save money by purchasing sale items or generic items. Some people like to clip coupons and research their shopping list and going from store to store until they find the best deal. But did you know that there are a group of people that make it a game and are happy to help you find the deals your looking for? The website thegrocerygame.com is listed on The Journalist’s Toolbox and it tracks the prices of more than 10,000 items, coupons, and store sales to alert you when products are at a low price. According to thegrocerygame.com:

“The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars on grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors, and you’re off to win The Grocery Game!”

Basically, this website saves you the effort of hauling in the Sunday paper and sitting at the kitchen table flipping through ink soaked paper to find the best deals.

Rain, Rain…Come Our Way!

The City of Las Vegas is located in the desert southwest of the United States. The desert, by definition, is a placed that has a low annual amount of rainfall. Las Vegas is no exception to the definition. According to the National Weather Service Las Vegas Forecast Office, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Las Vegas had 2.73″ of rainfall in all of 2007. The average amount of rainfall in Southern Nevada is 4.49 inches. So, in 2007 Southern Nevada saw a less than average year of precipitation.

In comparison to Phoenix, Airzona, our closest neighbor with a similar climate, the city normally receives 7.6 inches of rain per year, according to the Desert Research Institute. The reason for the difference between Las Vegas and Phoenix is that they are closer to the Gulf of Mexico. As result they see an increase in precipitation in August and September because of Monsoon storms. These are the annual storms that were responsible for the tornado that Salt Lake City, Utah saw in 1999,

 

The Salt Lake City Tornado (Source: National Weather Service)

according to the National Weather Service. In 2007, the National Weather Service in Maricopa County, the county that Phoenix is within, reported that the area received 5.05 inches of rainfall for 2007. In August and September, Phoenix received .31 inches and .07 inches, respectively. The Desert Research Institute reports the average rainfall for August is .86 inches and .65 inches for September. To conclude, Phoenix saw a less than average amount of rainfall for the year as well.

Galleria at Sunset looks to public to collect 836 water bottles in honor of Earth Day

With Earth Day coming up on Saturday, April 19th the Galleria at Sunset Mall and it’s owner, Forest City Enterprises, Inc., are asking for the public to donate their old water bottles for a Recycled Bottle Sculpture Display.

With the help of students from Nevada State College in Henderson, the goal of the display is to show the public the effect that one family can have on the environment.

“It’s our goal to really impress upon people just how significant one family’s ecological footprint can be…we hope that, through this project, we can inspire people to find even more ways to reduce their own impact on the environment.”

Scott Muelrath, general manager for the Galleria at Sunset

All of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. malls are participating in this event and are asking the communities that they are in to assist in their respective displays.

The display will be presented at 1pm on Earth Day, Saturday, April 19th at the JCPenney Court on the lower level of the mall.

The public is urged to drop their old water bottles off at the Guest Services Center at the Galleria Mall, which is located on the upper level near Macy’s. In return for your help the Guest Services Representatives will be rewarding donors with pledge cards and energy-saving light-bulbs to encourage shoppers to make the change from incandescent light bulbs to the new environmentally friendly bulbs.

Eco-terrorists blamed for luxury home fires

A row of model homes in Woodinville, Washington, just 20 miles from Seattle, was gutted Monday morning by a fire. A sign that was attached to a construction fence had the initials: “E.L.F.” which has become synonymous with the Earth Liberation Front, a militant group committed to making the world “greener.” Once fire officials investigated the models and found explosive devices in the homes, the cause of fire was changed from arson to domestic terrorism.

The homes that were destroyed were part of the “Seattle Street of Dreams,” a street of expensive homes with some of the most lavish upgrades on homes. The Las Vegas Valley had four “Street of Dreams” locations in Henderson. Two were at Seven Hills in 1998 and 2000 and the other two at McDonald Highlands in 2002 and 2004.

According to CNN.Com:

Last year, 10 people, including self-proclaimed members of the ELF and members of another organization called the Animal Liberation Front, were convicted for a string of arson fires that totaled more than $40 million in damage, according to an August statement by the U.S. Justice Department.

The FBI says that the investigation will continue as an act of domestic terrorism.

Virgin Atlantic Continues it’s Green Crusade

Virgin Atlantic made news recently becuase it sucessfully flew a journey with a new aircraft. So what’s the big deal…the Boeing 747 plane was powered with a biofuel blend.

 The Virgin flight from London to Amsterdam on February 24th ran on 40% biofuel during the one hour flight.
The flight was to test if major commercial aircraft can fly on biofuel.

“We believe that as a result of what’s happened today, we can now start developing biofuel for the future that hopefully the whole of Virgin Atlantic can use, and other airlines too.”

Sir Richard Branson – Virgin Atlantic President
(Quote obtained by NBC NEWS)

Will U.S. become world’s nuclear-waste dump?

According to the Christian Science Monitor,

“the federal government is weighing a Utah company’s request to import large amounts of low-level radioactive waste from Italy – a step critics say could lead the United States to become a nuclear garbage dump for the world.”

The federal government seems out of contact with it’s constituents. The people of the US have spoken…nobody wants nuclear waste. There are many groups that say they don’t want nuclear waste in their backyard.

Three-day weekends & government agencies

I sent an e-mail request for an interview to two people at the Clark County Department of Air Quality & Environmental Managment and they haven’t responded. I sent my e-mails on Thursday of last week and they have yet to respond. But I have two contacts at the DAQEM that are public information officers, so they will get back to me. I also attempted to call them, but calls repeatedly went to voice-mail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is there a greater sense of awareness about the need to protect the environment?
A. Yes, with the help of highly regarded people, such as former vice-president Al Gore, movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, the United States federal government, automobile makers and the ever changing gas prices, people are starting to realize there is a way to save money, and coincidentally saving our earth.

Q. What is the air quality in Las Vegas?
A. The Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management (DAQEM) monitors the air quality in Las Vegas.
At the time of posting here was the air quality stats for Las Vegas Metropolitan Area were:

Current Conditions (Updated Tuesday, February 12, 2008 . 11:16:08 AM)

35	HIGHEST POLLUTANT IS: Ozone

SOURCE: D.A.Q.U.E.M.

And the forecast for the Las Vegas Metro Area:

Forecast (Updated 2/12/2008)

Ozone Carbon Monoxide Dust/Smoke/Soot Tue (2/12/2008)   Good Good Good Wed (2/13/2008)   Good Good Good Thu (2/14/2008)   Good Good Moderate Fri (2/15/2008)   Good Good Good Sat (2/16/2008)   Good Good Good

SOURCE: D.A.Q.U.E.M.

Q. Why is Al Gore suddenly so concerned with the environment and global warming?
A. Al Gore has been concerned with the environment since his early days in Congress. According to the PBS Special: “The Political Climate,” Former President Gore co-sponsored hearings on toxic waste and global warming. Since then, Gore has been highly involved in environmentalism. With nearly every bill introduced to congress regarding the environment, Gore is usually involved somehow. Most recently, Gore has teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio to promote global warming.

Q. What is a carbon footprint?
A. According to carbonfootprint.com:

A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

So, a carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases produced by a person. This is measured and calculated as carbon dioxide.

Q. How has UNLV saved the environment?
A. According to UNLV Solid Waste and Recycling Manager:

Yesterday, I sent the campus an email indicating how much material we recycled in 2004. We recycled 407.7 tons of paper products (including books). This email translates that figure into number of 40 foot fir trees saved, gallons of water saved, pounds of air pollution prevented, cubic yards of landfill space saved and kilowatt hours of energy saved.

(NOTE: I want to point out that these figures are for FUN and not to spark a debate of accuracy. The conversion data is used by many campus recycling programs and each figure shows the source of the information).

• 40 Foot Fir Trees Saved: 6,931
  1 ton = 17 forty foot douglas fir trees
  source = EPA 1st report to Congress: “Resource Recycling and Source Reduction”, 3rd edition, 1974
• Water Saved (gallons): 2,853,900
  1 ton = 7,000 gallons of water
  source = EPA 1st report to Congress: “Resource Recycling and Source Reduction”, 3rd edition, 1974
• Air Pollution Prevented (pounds): 24,462
  1 ton = 60 pounds of air pollutants
  source = EPA 1st report to Congress: “Resource Recycling and Source Reduction”, 3rd edition, 1974
• Landfill Space Saved (cubic yards): 1,223
  1 ton = 3 cubic yards of landfill space
  source = American Paper Institute, Inc. report: “Paper Recycling and Its Role In Solid Waste Management”
• Energy Saved (kilowatt hours): 1,672,385.4
  1 ton = 4,102 kilowatt hours of electricity
  source = Pacific Gas and Electric

Keep recycling!!!! Let’s increase all the figures for 2005!!!!!

If you have suggestions for improving recycling in your area or department, please call or email us. We are open to suggestions and appreciate input!!!!

Tara Pike
UNLV Solid Waste and Recycling Manager
tpike@ccmail.nevada.edu
702-895-3760

Q. What can I do now right now, this minute?
A. Spread the word! Add this sentence to all your e-mail signatures:

Please consider the environment before printing this email. P

If you have any other questions, please comment!

Starbucks is Green Too…but Not Just With its Green Tea Latte

Starbucks has made its commitment to green known to the world. Read your cup! The cup is made from post-consumer waste and so is the sleeve that the hot coffee is put in. Furthermore, whether you use the “hot” cup or the “iced” cup, reuse it! Fill it with more coffee or a delicious beverage of your choice.

 Also, read the Starbucks Environmental Mission Statement:

Read more here.