A field monitor checks a gas meter for leaks. (Photo: Department of Energy)

From Green Right Now Reports

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced today that the first installment of $123 million in federal Recovery funds for weatherization will begin to be released Nov. 2, part of $253 million that the state will use for this purpose.

The Governor said the funding represents an unprecedented level of investment that will help to create new, “green” jobs, save money for struggling families, and stimulate local economic activity as weatherization agencies buy required material, vehicles and equipment.

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By Abrahm Lustgarten
ProPublica

Pennsylvania environment officials have charged Cabot Oil and Gas with five violations after nearly 8,000 gallons of hydraulic fracturing solution spilled from a pipe system in two separate incidents near the town of Dimock last week. The department reported that a third, smaller spill, occurred at the site Tuesday morning.

According to the state, Cabot failed to prevent a fracturing fluid discharge, failed to keep that discharge from escaping into the environment and from entering a creek, and inappropriately dammed that creek after the spill, among other violations. The company could face fines topping $130,000.

“I was concerned with two releases,” said Bob Yowell, director of the north central regional office of the DEP. “A third release, although it was relatively small, gives us great concern that something unusual is happening at this particular well. This isn’t a normal situation.”

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From Green Right Now Reports

To mark the premiere of Ken Burns’ new PBS documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation will hold a nationwide day of service and celebration in the parks on Saturday, Sept. 26th, National Public Lands Day. Entrance fees will be waived for the day as America’s national parks will host volunteer activities, and a special sneak preview screenings of the Burns Film.

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By Abrahm Lustgarten
ProPublica

A drill site entrance near the spill site in Dimock, Pa., taken this past winter. (Photo: Abrahm Lustgarten /ProPublica)

Pennsylvania environment officials are racing to clean up as much as 8,000 gallons of dangerous drilling fluids after a series of spills at a natural gas production site near the town of Dimock last week.

The spills, which occurred at a well site run by Cabot Oil and Gas, involve a compound manufactured by Halliburton that is described as a “potential carcinogen” and is used in the drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, according to state officials. The contaminants have seeped into a nearby creek, where a fish kill was reported by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP also reported fish “swimming erratically.”

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By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now

How do you turn a 100-year-old Philadelphia row-house into a green house? Better question: How do you make that row-house green enough to potentially forego HVAC half of the year?

With lots of love, forethought and green savoir faire, says David Krupp, a Philadelphia-based LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) Realtor and developer. Krupp is selling what he and his architectural designer-owner clients hope will be the first LEED Platinum residence in Philly’s Center City neighborhood, a converted row home at 1500 Montrose Street.

“As it stands, there are no LEED-Platinum certified homes in the Center City area,” Krupp says. “Right now, we’re ‘racing’ with another one.”

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From Green Right Now Reports

Pennsylvania faces a future in which warmer temperatures may hamper the ability of some crops to thrive, cooling costs for buildings will rise and heating costs could fall, according to a report released today by the Department of Environmental Protection.

“Climate change is long-term variations to daily weather patterns,” DEP Secretary John Hanger said in a statement. “Those variations can have positive and negative effects on various sectors of everyday life. This report presents an assessment of how climate change could potentially affect such things as human health, wildlife, recreation, agriculture, tourism and the economy in Pennsylvania for the rest of the 21st Century.”

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From Green Right Now Reports

Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has developed guidelines and a demonstration campsite that can help campers reduce their impact on the environment, Bureau of State Parks Director John Norbeck said today.

“Normally we think of tent camping as a fairly natural activity, but there are things that campers can do differently to limit the impact they have on their outdoor surroundings,” Norbeck said in a statement. “Using a ‘green’ approach to camping is not only good for the environment; it also can reduce your costs and make camping more enjoyable.”

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Photo: PRNewsFoto/SRS Energy, David Ricketts

SRS Energy’s Sole Power Tile system was installed in this Bermuda Dunes, Calif., home in three hours.

From Green Right Now Reports

Methods for adding solar panels to home continue to evolve and become more sophisticated. For evidence, look no further than a recently completed residential installation of the Sole Power Tile system at a home in Bermuda Dunes, Calif. SRS Energy of Philadelphia, a developer of sustainable solar roofing products, says the new solar tile is the first building-integrated photovoltaic roofing product designed for curved roofing systems.

“This installation illustrates how homeowners can go green and make smart, sustainable choices without compromising curb appeal,” Marty Low, CEO of SRS Energy, said in a statement. “The revolutionary design of the Sole Power Tile system will enable this home to generate clean solar energy for decades to come.”

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From Green Right Now Reports

When it comes to employing green practices, golf courses have been pretty much buried in a sand trap. That could change, with the help of a new best practices handbook from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and LandStudies, Inc.

Golf course superintendents can now take advantage of the new Water Resources Best Management Practices Handbook to help make their courses truly green. The handbook includes a detailed description of each recommended practice, its environmental benefit, and a local example with contact information so that superintendents can learn first-hand how to install the practice. There also are links to additional online resources.

“Pennsylvania has over 800 public and private golf courses covering thousands of acres of open space, streams and ponds,” Don Welsh, president & CEO of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, said in a statement. “With this Handbook, superintendents can improve water quality and watershed habitat at their courses using proven best management practices that in many cases will also lower maintenance costs.”

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From Green Right Now Reports

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Mayor Thomas Leighton won the 2009 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced today.

The awards, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., recognizes mayors for innovative practices in their cities designed to increase energy efficiency and curb global warming. An independent panel of judges determined the winners from a pool of 140 applicants.

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From Green Now Reports

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe yesterday praised the House Game and Fisheries Committee and its chairmen, Rep. Edward G. Staback (D-Lackawanna) and Rep. Craig Dally (R-Northampton), for its near unanimous approval of House Bill 97, which would increase penalties and fines for poaching. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Staback.

“Increasing penalties for serious violations is one of the operational objectives within the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Strategic Plan, and we welcome this first-step in the process taken by the Committee today,” Roe said in a statement. “Enactment of this bill will mark the first comprehensive piece of legislation to increase Game and Wildlife Code Penalties since 1987, and we believe it will significantly enhance wildlife protection in the Commonwealth.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

We chat a lot about farmer’s markets here on the website, but it’s a pet topic for some good reasons. Who can argue with buying local food, which carries a lower carbon footprint, is more nutrient-rich (according to recent studies) than less fresh options and also supports the local economy?

Here’s a new twist on the concept that we stumbled upon – a farmer’s market that comes to your workplace. They started one in Chester County, Penn., last year and are bringing it back this summer.

The impromptu, lunchtime markets provide both gastronomic and economic benefits. Farmers get a new outlet for their goods and the county employees are treated to fresh produce, allowing them to skip the daily chore of stopping at the grocery on the way home.

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