Image: Chevron Energy Solutions

Difficult times call for innovative ideas, and the San Francisco Bay Area may be a cleaner place as a result. Faced with dwindling revenues and budget cuts, the San Jose Unified School District once again turns to renewable energy, breaking ground March 11 on a 3.7 MW solar project to be installed over six school sites.

When the sites come online later this year, the district anticipates saving more than $1.5 million in electric utility costs the first year, $7.6 million over five years and $36 million over the life of the project. Those figures are based on lower electricity costs, state incentives and sale of renewable energy credits.

The project also is expected to reduce carbon emissions by some 3,100 metric tons per year.

Chevron Energy Solutions will build and maintain the system, which could employ about 100 local union contractors. Previously, Chevron and the district worked together on a 2008 project that produced a 5.5 MW installation at 14 district sites.

“Our schools will all benefit from these savings, especially in these tough economic times when they’re needed most,” East Side Union High School District Interim Superintendent Dan Moser said in a press release. “Also, this project reduces our carbon footprint and allows us to incorporate solar into our teaching curriculum so our teachers and students can learn about renewable energy technologies firsthand.”

The installation also will help students learn about solar energy, as teachers use hands-on solar kits and activity guides in the classroom.

New York University released its Climate Action Plan (CAP) today, which outlines the first steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.

The plan was developed after the university took a greenhouse gas inventory, and it outlines the projects and methods it will use to reduce or offsets its emissions.

NYU officials credited both Mayor Bloomberg’s PlanNYC Climate Challenge and the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) for initiating and helping shape its actions. The school is a signor of the ACUPCC .

The goals:

• NYU will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions per square foot by 30 percent from FY 2006 levels by FY 2017. This plan aims to reduce emissions in “an immediate, ambitious and tangible way,” school officials said.

• NYU pledges to achieve “climate neutrality” (i.e. net zero emissions) by FY 2040 by upgrading buildings through efficiency and conservation, planning for green building, generating cleaner on-site and renewable energy,  encouraging behavior changes and offsetting remaining emissions.

“Across the University – from academics to financial and space planning to sustainability – we are striving to plan for the long-term,” said Michael Alfano, NYU’s Executive Vice President. “This Climate Action Plan fits within that template, relying on a rigorous analysis to point the way toward a 30-year goal of attaining carbon neutrality.”

Cecil Scheib, Director of Energy and Sustainability, noted in the news release that NYU has already made progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting them by 20 percent over the past three years.

“NYU total emissions have dropped from a fiscal year (FY06) peak of 171,000 MTCE to 136,000 MTCE in FY 2009. This decrease in global warming pollution is a measurable component of New York City’s total emissions, and represents a major step toward confronting the challenge of global warming,” Scheib said.

NYU, which is located in Greenwich Village and comprises 14 schools and colleges,  intends to fulfill its CAP by retrofitting buildings to use less energy, and prioritizing those retrofits to maximize emissions reductions.

The school — already the largest university purchaser of wind power — plans to use more cleaner energy by expanding a cogeneration power plant on site, which is expected to mitigate nearly one-quarter of NYU’s baseline FY 2006 emissions. The university will also replace fuel oil used to heat buildings with cleaner energy sources.

NYU is exploring the possibility of adding wind and solar power to its on-site energy plans, projects that it hopes will be financially feasible because of a positive return on investment, buttressed by state and federal incentives.

Whatever emissions the school can’t reduce or eliminate with these methods will be mitigated through local, socially and educationally redeeming offset programs.

NYU’s Manager of Sustainability Initiatives, Jeremy Friedman said that the CAP plan “fuses” the short-term reductions required by the Mayoral Challenge with the broader goals of the ACUPCC.

And the program does not forget the educational opportunities provided by the changing times. NYU expects to foster a campus-wide appreciation of sustainability through expanded course offerings both at the main campus and the affiliated Polytechnic Institute of NYU.

“The size and scope of this problem,” said Friedman, “are equaled only by our collective capacity to confront it together – by reducing greenhouse gas emissions as individuals, and by educating the next generation of leaders in the struggle to create a more sustainable and just world.”

Calling themselves “Clean Energy Patriots,” dozens of environmental leaders today asked the U.S. Senate to quit serving the interests of “Big Oil” and take action on behalf of Americans who want clean energy and climate solutions.

The leaders from nearly 50 environmental and social responsibility groups signed a declaration at the U.S. Capitol. It demands  that the Senate quit stalling on climate action, and kicks off a 40-day countdown until Earth Day, which celebrates its 40th anniversary on April 22.

They urged citizens to join in what they are calling the Earth Day Revolution.

“The first Earth Day was a success because 20 million Americans demonstrated an urgent need for environmental protection and action,” said Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network. “Together, we can make the 40th anniversary of Earth Day a pivotal moment in the environmental movement. We will use the next 40 days to build momentum around a demand for comprehensive climate legislation…”

Clean energy legislation would not only protect the environment, it would create jobs and improve national security, the leaders said.

“For too long Big Oil and their special interest allies have stood in the way of a clean energy revolution. It’s time for lawmakers to listen to the millions of citizens who will recognize this Earth Day by demanding the Senate gets working to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation,” said Gene Karpinski, President of the League of Conservation Voters. “We need more Clean Energy Patriots this year. We need an Earth Day Revolution, not just another celebration.”

The campaign will wind up with a Climate Rally on the Sunday after Earth Day, on April 25.

The following groups have signed the Earth Day Declaration:

1Sky

Audubon

American Hunters and Shooters

American Rivers

American Values Network

Campus Progress

Center for American Progress Action Fund

Clean Water Action

Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Climate Protection Action Fund

Climate Solutions

Defenders of Wildlife

Democracia Ahora

Earth Day Network

Environment America

Environmental Defense Action Fund

Environmental Law and Policy Center

Green for All

Hip Hop Caucus

Interfaith Power and Light

La Onda Verde

League of Conservation Voters

National Catholic Rural Life Conference

National Wildlife Federation

NWF Campus Ecology

Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund

Oceana

Operation Free

Rock the Vote

Sierra Club

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

SACE

Southern Energy Network

StudentPIRGs

SustainUS

Truman National Security Project

Union of Concerned Scientists

Veterans for Common Sense

Voces Verdes

World Wildlife Fund

The Wilderness Society

Live Earth today announced a series of concerts in April as part of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water to raise awareness and funds to help solve the global water crisis. Melissa Etheridge will headline the event in Los Angeles and Rob Thomas will perform in Atlanta.

Organizers said the events will take place in nearly 100 cities across 50 countries around the world on April 18. Additional artists will be announced for events in Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York.

Dow Live Earth Run for Water will include a 6km run/walk (the average distance many women and children walk every day to get water), along with a water education village and other live musical performances.

Etheridge, who won an Academy Award winner for Best Song for the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth, said she believes “strongly that it is our duty as a society and as individuals to preserve our planet and its resources.”

“I want to lend my name and time to this event because the global water crisis is an environmental issue that affects nearly one billion people on the planet and through this event we can raise awareness and money to help address it,” Etheridge said in a statement.

Funds raised from the events will benefit Global Water Challenge, a coalition of non profit organizations working to bring clean, safe drinking water to millions of people worldwide, including projects that provide clean drinking water to communities in Haiti, Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Live Earth said that beginning today it will donate $1 for each U.S. registration received through March 23 for a special Haiti relief fund through GWC coalition partners CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Population Services, and UNICEF to implement safe drinking water programs on the ground in Haiti. People interested in supporting the Haiti relief fund should register for a Dow Live Earth Run for Water run/walk event in the U.S. before March 23, using promotional code HAITI.

The Los Angeles Dow Live Earth Run for Water event will be held in Exposition Park, near downtown Los Angeles, with the 6km course starting on Exposition Park Drive, turning onto Figueroa and traveling three kilometers toward downtown, turning around at 17th Street for the return three kilometers, and ending in the Water Village in Expo Park. Starting time for the run is 8:30 a.m.

Looking to rent an apartment? Make sure it has all the amenities you’ll need: laundry facilities, exercise room — and a car for occasional long-range errands.

In San Francisco, they are not leaving that last one to chance. The Planning Department mandates that for every 50 to 200 units in a new residential building, at least one space must be made available for a car sharing vehicle.

The idea is that parking for an apartment complex shouldn’t shut out, but should encourage, those who use car sharing. And if the space has got a car at the ready — all the better.

Zipcar, Inc., the Boston-based car sharing service that claims to be the world’s largest, announced this week that San Francisco has granted it a certification that qualifies the company to fill those designated car-share spots. That means that Zipcar can place its cars at the car share parking spots, giving it a competitive edge over other services.

“As a ‘Certified Car Share Organization,’ Zipcar will help meet the demands of San Francisco developers and residents, who increasingly are requesting car sharing at their buildings,” said Lawrence Badiner, Zoning Administrator of the San Francisco Planning Department.

Eventually, other car companies could get certified, as well, by applying to the city Planning Department.

In the meantime, Zipcar can fulfill the needs of building owners and tenants, as Zipcar President and COO Mark Norman explained in his statement: “Developers can better attract tenants by offering Zipcar as an on-site amenity, and effectively cut costs by reducing the overall number of parking spaces necessary, since fewer residents will own cars.

“Residents can more easily live car-free with the convenience of a Zipcar just steps from their home.  A car-free life will save money, simplify their lives and reduce their environmental footprint.”

Integrating car sharing, biking amenities or locating near mass transit also wins building developers points toward LEED designation by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Zipcar serves many major and smaller city markets in North America.

For more information about car sharing, see carsharing.net.

In Durham, N.C., homes will get an energy retrofit. In Salt Lake City, they’ll develop a plan to reduce auto pollution.  In Sacramento, they’ll be improving the landscape around a river to reduce pollution runoff. And in Denver, they’ll be looking at a little bit of all that — energy efficiency for homes and businesses, bike sharing and renewable energy.

It’s all being made possible by $10 million from the EPA’s Climate Showcase Community Grants, set up to help communities develop their plans to reduce greenhouse gases and lighten their carbon footprint.

Durham, N.C.

Retrofiting by insulating pipes in Durham, N.C.

In the city and county of Durham, N.C., the community will use the grant to retrofit homes in selected neighborhoods. Tobin Freid, sustainability manager, says one of the most effective ways to change behavior is to see that everyone else “is doing it.” In other words, if the neighbors are all getting retrofitted, the mentality is “I should do that, too.”

The federal grants will have a double benefit by providing much needed green collar jobs for those employed by the program.

“We are starting with 2,000 square-feet or less homes, all of which are single story and free of un-vented combustion appliances.
The houses in these neighborhoods tend to be similar, three to four styles,” says Freid, and by beginning with simple designs, “it is more efficient to quickly assess [the retrofitting needs].”

Single story homes are easier to retrofit because the duct work is all on one level. The other advantage is that the smaller homes are a good training ground for the retrofitters before embarking on larger projects in the future, Freid said.

The Durham crew is not doing an energy audit on each of these homes, instead, “we are focusing on four retrofits: a programmable thermostat, sealing air ducts, adding insulation and sealing leaks/cracks in floor boards. Most houses need these.”

The homes to be retrofitted will be selected this spring and the work will begin in July. Currently, Freid says, “volunteers are going door to door to educate homeowners on energy savings and tax incentives. We will also have workshops on easy energy fixes such as caulking windows or wrapping hot water pipes.”

The homes chosen will be tracked for energy use, before and two years after, the retrofits. “We realize energy consumption changes depending how many people live in a house. For example when a child is born, energy usage goes up; or when a child goes off to college, energy usage should go down.”

Residents will pay $300 to participate; the grant will provide up to $1,200 per home. Depending on what a family’s income is, they may qualify for the federal weatherization program. In which case, they will be encouraged to do so. A family of four earning $44,000 or below, would qualify.

Salt Lake City

In Salt Lake City, the EPA grant is being used to figure out how to make sustainable transportation a priority — and for good reason.

Bike racks at the new Salt Lake City transit center

“Salt Lake City experiences very poor air quality, especially in winter,” says the city’s environmental manager, Renee Zollinger. This is due to an air inversion that sets in and traps pollutants in the valley. Air quality isn’t much better in the summer due to ozone production. “We frequently have the worst air quality in the nation, which is clearly a health concern. About half of the pollution that accumulates during those periods is from vehicle exhaust. These vehicle emissions also include a lot of greenhouse gases. “

To combat the air quality issue, the Salt Lake has initiated several outreach campaigns to reduce community vehicle emissions. Zollinger says that while these have been successful, “we felt that these programs…would benefit by stepping back and taking a holistic approach to identifying our audiences and their respective priorities, and then developing very tailored messaging that brings those groups into the effort.”

That’s where the EPA grant come into play, she says.

“The grant will allow us to collect data from surveys and focus groups to identify the perceptions of different audiences, especially those that have been difficult to reach so far,” Zollinger says.

The problem that Salt Lake City has is not different from many other communities. “We are still a very car-oriented population. The goal of the grant is to create more behavior changes. We have the infrastructure…We need to study the things that will change behavior,” she says.

Salt Lake City has a well-regarded light rail system, as well as heavy rail that runs north and south along the Wasatch Front, a robust bus system, and bike paths, she says. The city is building a bicycle transit center that will be located where the light and heavy rail intersect and will include showers, lockers and a bike repair shop.

If Salt Lake City can identify the triggers that make people change their environmental behavior, Zollinger believes that this data could help other communities with similar demographics.

Denver

In Denver city and county, the EPA grant will fund the Neighborhood Climate Prosperity Project. It is a four-pronged project that will target residential energy efficiency; small business energy concerns (mom-and-pop pizza shops don’t usually consider energy efficiency a top priority); sustainable transportation options such as bike sharing; and renewable energy challenges that include using wind and solar energy through local utility companies.

“We’ve already done some residential energy outreach,” says Matthew Marshall of the city’s Environmental Health Department. “We want to focus on low-income housing” so the project is sending out volunteers to go door to door, giving residents free street trees, CFL porch bulbs and information on recycling. The volunteers also are letting residents know about free programs such as the federal weatherization program. In some cases, they may be eligible for a new refrigerator and/or furnace.

The stimulus package gave Denver a good boost, Marshall says, but the grant money enables the city and county to provide even more services to its residents.

The Department of Environmental Health accomplishes its goals with the help of nonprofits such as Groundwork Denver and the Mile High Youth Corp to get the word out and in some cases, to do the energy retrofits needed. Groundwork Denver organizes the door-to-door effort. The Youth Corp trains young adults in job skills, in this case, green job skills, that enable them to do in-home energy audits that include installing low-flow toilet and faucet fixtures.

Sacramento

In Sacramento, the EPA grant will go to expanding river-friendly landscaping. Jeanette Watson, the lead environmental specialist with the Sacramento County Storm Water Program, and Dave Tamayo, the technical environmental specialist, were  both involved with the

River-friendly landscaping curbs run off in Elk Grove, near Sacramento

grant application. Sacramento already had a storm water project in the works. It focuses on reducing pollutants in storm water that come from landscaping. The project takes a holistic approach by coordinating with the different aspects of water pollution: solid waste, water conservation and air quality.

“The EPA grant will demonstrate the benefits of river-friendly landscaping,” says Watson. It will  focus on greenhouse gas reduction in terms of water conservation and better management of green waste, says Tamayo, noting that, “Water takes energy to deal with. If you save water, you save energy.”

By designing river-friendly landscaping, homeowners and businesses can control green waste, he says. For example, by reducing the turf area of a lawn and using plants that don’t require a lot of trimming, a resident can create a more energy efficient landscape. Gardening without the use of a lot of machinery is preferable. Shipping out yard waste – such as grass cuttings in the summer or leaves in the fall – requires energy. It also takes energy to process and then more energy to sell it back as compost or mulch.

“Leaving grass cuttings on the lawn, benefits the soil; and instead of raking and removing leaves, leave them on site and use as mulch for shrubs and trees. The leaves will also crowd out the weeds, retain water and reduce soil erosion,” he says.

“We realize, especially in Sacramento, the city of trees, that all leaves can’t be left on site. But if we can just establish practices. Whatever you can do, will make a significant improvement.

“Looking at the right design and maintenance practices, such as using the right plant in the right place,” makes a difference, he says.

Roger Dickinson, a Sacramento county supervisor, has been involved with lobbying for the creation of the Climate Showcase Community Grant from the start. Bringing more resources to the local level is key, he says. This is where actions need to be taken.

“Think globally, act locally” is his motto. “We’re very excited about this,” he says. “Climate change is the quintessential issue. Hopefully, [these grants] will be very smart for the environment.” Using basic landscaping and gardening techniques to reduce waste make sense, he says. “Our approach is to demonstrate techniques that work in reducing greenhouse gases and use this as a foundation for others who are building in the future.”

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacremento) is very pleased with the EPA grant. “This federal funding will support our efforts to continue reducing our community’s greenhouse gas emissions and thus serve a broader purpose in helping to preserve our local natural resources, improve the community’s health, and bolster our regional economy,” she says.

Cincinnati

The city of Cincinnati also will be augmenting an existing program, started in 2008 and called the Green Cincinnati Plan (GCP). Larry Falkin, director of the city’s Office of Environmental Quality, describes it as a road map to making the city more sustainable. The EPA grant will help fund the outreach and education elements of GCP, he says. “The grant will help us with the leg work to communicate the plan and help motivate participation.”

The GCP offers many recommendations to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and improve the environment and human health — and save residents money.

“We need to rely more on renewal energy, reduce the number of miles we drive, be conscious of land use such as living closer to our destinations, focus on reducing the landfill and look at our dietary choices and how they impact greenhouse gases,” Falkin says.

Like many of EPA communities, the GCP relies on voluntary measures to achieve its objectives, and counts on participants to act both altruistically and pragmatically.

The EPA created the competitive grant program in 2009 to help communities establish and execute climate change goals. The agency’s hope is that the grants will inspire others to replicate these models and find cost-effective methods to curb greenhouse gases. The first round of grants ($10 million) went to 20 communities, with five more communities to come, pending final review. An additional $10 million in funding will become available later this spring.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Williams currently has evacuated tube solar collectors on Fort Hoosac, a graduate dorm. (Photo: Williams College)

From Green Right Now Reports

The Roberts Environmental Center at Claremont McKenna College has released an analysis of sustainability reporting for the Top 50 U.S. liberal arts colleges. The report contains a compilation of Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) scores evaluating the environmental and social reporting of these colleges. PSI scoring is based on the transparency, intent, and performance for both environmental and social issues.

The top 10 in overall sustainability reporting are:

1. Williams College

2. Bucknell University

3. Amherst College

4. Colorado College

5. Gettysburg College

6. Bard College

7. Haverford College

8. Wellesley College

9. Mount Holyoke College

10. Oberlin College

Using the Top 50 liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News and World Report in 2009, the research for the report is based entirely on material released on the colleges’ web sites. This is the REC’s second report on College and University sustainability reporting. The first, in 2007, evaluated only a few institutions because, at that time, sustainability issues were not widely reported on college and university web sites.

The report’s ranking was created by REC analysts evaluating each college’s web site using the PSI and sector specific questions. The index uses a systematic questionnaire to assess the quality of sustainability reporting and is divided into environmental and social categories that contain three types of information: intent, reporting, and performance.

In a blow to the nuclear power industry, Vermont’s State Senate is pulling the plug on the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant,  which has been beset by environmental problems ranging from missing fuel rods to the uncontrolled release of radiation.

The Vermont Yankee Power Plant (Photo: NRC)

The Senate voted this week (26-4) to not renew a requested extension of the plant’s 40-year license, which expires in March 2012. The vote came after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission acknowledged this week that yet another radioactive leak had occurred at the Yankee reactor in 2005. It also followed President Obama’s declaration of a new era for nuclear, beginning with $8 billion in federal loan guarantees for a large nuclear power plant near Augusta, Ga.

Vermont’s House of Representatives may vote on the issue, but if either chamber denies the extensive of the license, the plant must be closed. The Vermont Yankee Power Plant, licensed in 1972, is permitted until March 2012, according to the DOE.

The power of Vermont lawmakers to shutdown the facility is unique among states, and the move by the Senate marks the first time a state legislature has closed a nuclear plant, according to Greenpeace, which lauded the move.

“Vermonters sent a message to President Obama and the nuclear industry today,” said Greenpeace’s Nuclear Policy Analyst Jim Riccio. “The nuclear renaissance is dead on arrival.  We can retire old, decrepit and leaking reactors like Vermont Yankee and help usher in the energy revolution that America needs.”

“When Americans have the choice about the kind of energy they want in their communities, they don’t want nuclear,” Riccio said in a news release. “… Greenpeace is calling on Vermonter legislators to vote against relicensing in the house as well so that the message to America registers loud and clear.”

Said Vermont Organizer Jarred Cobb, “From farmers and schoolteachers to businesspeople and students, the people of Vermont are overwhelmingly in support of a energy future that relies on clean and safe renewables like wind and solar. The communities living in the shadow of Vermont Yankee have had to worry for too long about this aging reactor.”

Environmentalists are divided on whether nuclear power should play a role in a new clean energy economy. Some like that nuclear reactors do not emit carbon emissions, but many others fear that just the sort of leaks and difficulties faced by the Vermont Yankee Plant make nuclear power risky and damaging to the environment.

The Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, a boiling-water type reactor, is owned by Entergy.

From Green Right Now Reports

Plans are taking shape for Earth Hour 2010, the annual event in which landmarks around the world switch off their lights as a symbol of their commitment to resolving the issue of global warming.

This year’s event will be held at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. Among the participating global icons for 2010 are CN Tower in Toronto, Table Mountain in Cape Town, the Grand Palace in Bangkok and the world’s second tallest building, Tapei 101. U.S. landmarks that will go dark include the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Mount Rushmore and the lights of Las Vegas.

The actions shown by cities of the world and their inhabitants are crucial to leading a low-carbon resolution to climate change, says Earth Hour Co-Founder and Executive Director, Andy Ridley. He noted that the C40, a climate leadership group of many of the world’s largest cities, says that cities are responsible for up to 75 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

“So their role in addressing what is unequivocally the greatest threat to the planet today is absolutely vital,” Ridley said in a statement. “By turning the lights off their landmarks for Earth Hour, cities are reflecting the aspirations of their citizens as a community that has resolved to take action on global warming.”

Earth Hour began as a one-city initiative in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights.  By 2009 it had grown into a global event that included the Great Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, Christ the Redeemer statue, Buckingham Palace, Beijing’s Olympic Stadium and many more world-famous landmarks as 4,159 cities, towns and municipalities in 88 countries participated.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa today confirmed earlier reports that the city will partner with RecycleBank to launch an incentive program that will reward households for Blue Bin recycling. Initially, a pilot program will serve 15,000 single family homes along selected routes in the West Valley and North Central sections of the city.

The program is designed to encourage additional Blue Bin recycling.

In announcing the pilot program, the mayor said it is designed to encourage additional Blue Bin recycling, increase recycling rates and put meaningful savings in the pockets of participating residents.

“The City of Los Angeles has worked tirelessly to ensure that recycling is accessible to every single resident. Los Angeles’ ambitious environmental agenda is one of the reasons why we already recycle more than any other big city in America and why we will be the cleanest, greenest big city in America,” Mayor Villaraigosa said in a statement. “To reach our goal of zero waste, we are building innovative partnerships that will employ outside resources. We are proud to be the biggest city to work with RecycleBank, since the program will motivate residents to recycle more and will pump money directly back into the local economy.”

RecycleBank measures the amount of material recycled in a community and converts that amount into points that can be redeemed for rewards at hundreds of local and national RecycleBank Reward Partners. Rewards come in the form of groceries, gift cards, school supplies, restaurants, among other choices. RecycleBank works to involve local merchants so residents can enjoy savings while helping the local economy.

There also is an option to donate reward points to local schools through the RecycleBank Green Schools Program. National RecycleBank partners include retailers and brands such as Kraft Foods, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ruby Tuesday and CVS/pharmacy.

The goal of the pilot program is to elevate environmental stewardship, personal responsibility and volunteer action in recycling on a community wide basis. Residents in the pilot areas must sign up for their personal RecycleBank account, either online or by phone, to begin earning reward points.

Officials said the 12-month pilot program will be studied by the City’s Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Sanitation, which implements the city’s solid waste recycling and collection programs. The City will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the program in raising its leading 65-percent diversion rate of residential and commercial waste out of the nation’s 10 largest cities.

The City said no money from the its general fund will be used for the test. Citywide, the residential Blue Bin recycling program collects an average of 4,600 tons of recyclables every week or more than 240,000 tons annually.

Reward points will be earned on a community weight based approach with points and rewards shared equally with participating households on each collection route. Once a RecycleBank member, program participants can redeem their points online, where they can also learn about their personal environmental footprint through recycling. Participants can also access their account information by calling the toll free RecycleBank Customer Care Center, 1 (888) 727-2978.

Currently, RecycleBank services more than one million people across 25 states and also provides service in the United Kingdom. These households have cumulatively saved more than 4.3 million trees and more than 292 million gallons of oil through their recycling efforts, according to RecycleBank.

Even after monumental clean-ups that rescued the Great Lakes from acid rain and industrial dumping in the 20th Century, these national water resources continue to suffer environmental assaults.

Sewage overflows into the lakes — some 25 billion gallons of untreated sewage from 20 cities in 2008 — have resulted in waters that periodically test positive for dangerous levels of E coli in 2008, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Asian Carp (Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service.)

Lately, too, the lakes are under threat from the large and destructive Asian carp, an invasive species that has been making its way up rivers to Lake Michigan, where scientists say it could annihilate whole populations of native fish, creating havoc in the Great Lakes, and depleting food and fishing jobs. (The carp were imported decades ago by catfish farmers to clean their stock ponds; they escaped during Midwestern floods.)

Today, the EPA officially unveiled a five-year plan to help restore the Great Lakes, which supply 30 million people with water and support billions in fishing and recreational businesses.

“We have an historic opportunity to restore and protect these waters. This action plan outlines our strategy to protect the environmental, human health, and economic interests of the millions of people who rely on the Great Lakes,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re committed to creating a new standard of care that will leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation.”

State governors were, predictably, pleased. Said Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, co-chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, “Wisconsin is defined by the Great Lakes, and one of our greatest responsibilities is to preserve this important freshwater resource for future generations. This action plan sets a strong course of action as we confront tremendous challenges to not only protect, but also restore the Great Lakes.”

“We must protect and preserve our lakes for our families and outdoors enthusiasts, as well as the industries that rely on the waterways to transport their goods around the world,” added CGLC co-chair  Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in the same news release.

The five-year action plan was developed by 16 federal groups on an inter-agency task force headed by Jackson. It will have five areas of focus, according to an EPA news release:

• Protection and cleanup of the most polluted areas in the lakes: The task force will work with state and municipal partners to clean up toxic hotspots so that critical “working waterways” are reclaimed for healthy fishing and recreation.

• Combating invasive species: The plan will take a “zero tolerance” approach toward invasive species, such as the Asian Carp, to keep them out of the lakes.

• Protection of high priority watersheds and reduced runoff from urban, suburban and, agricultural sources: Reducing runoff and pollution to help clean up Great Lakes beaches.

• Restoration of wetlands and other habitats: Restoration work will begin with an assessment of the entire 530,000 acre Great Lakes coastal wetland, which has never been done before, to help the task force identify and restore affected areas for healthier wildlife and habitats.

• Implementation of accountability measures, learning initiatives, outreach and strategic partnerships: The task force will work closely with the Great Lakes states, non-profits, stakeholder groups and Canada to protect and restore the lakes.

The initiative is slated to be funded with $475 million for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative proposed this month by President Barak Obama. If approved, it would be the most significant investment in the Great Lakes in two decades, according to the EPA.

Martin J. Chavez, three-term former mayor of Albuquerque, has been named Executive Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA, the nation’s largest membership organization for local governments committed to climate protection, sustainability, and clean energy.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. There is a growing national movement of U.S. cities, towns, and counties – from New York and LA to Oklahoma City – that are taking action to combat climate change, save energy, create green jobs, and make their communities more livable.

Chavez will direct ICLEI’s ongoing efforts to empower local governments with tools, resources, and expertise to achieve their goals.

“Mayor Chavez has very a strong record in the environmental, social justice, and economic development arenas,” Patrick Hays, ICLEI USA President and Board Chairman and Mayor of North Little Rock, Ark, said in a statement. “His drive and experience are perfectly suited to build and serve ICLEI’s 600+ local government members, and work with our federal and state partners.”

Chavez was considered one of the nation’s “greenest” mayors. He joins ICLEI during a period when the organization sais it is experiencing “unprecedented membership growth,” as more local governments seek help to lower their greenhouse gas emissions, plan for climate change, save energy and taxpayer dollars, create green jobs, and develop plans to improve sustainability and quality of life for their communities.

“ICLEI has a successful tradition of helping cities and counties do more and do better,” Chavez said in a statement. “I look forward to working with fellow local elected officials and professionals nationwide, and of course with the very dedicated ICLEI staff, to achieve measurable impacts in the years ahead.”