Conservationists seek to cut carbon footprints
Lori Sands strolls through the grass toward a bed of greens that grows on her farm in Marion Township.
Thriving under a shaded tunnel, the greens represent an effort by Sands and her husband, Ben Shaevitz, to promote the consumption of locally grown food.
An example of minimal tillage on their 42-acre farm, the greens are planted between vegetative alleys, leaving little soil exposed.
No threat of muddy feet here: Sands meanders through damp grass wearing a pair of sandals.
"I don't understand why people don't grow food," she laments, pointing to the transportation of produce as a contributor to our nation's carbon footprint.
An increasingly popular concept, those footprints represent a correlation between lifestyle, culture and global warming.
Sands is among a growing population whose habits attempt to leave minimal impact, beginning with the concept "You are what you eat."
According to studies, reducing meat consumption can help the environment by saving forests that otherwise might be cleared for pasture.Cows also release methane — another greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere when they burp.But farming techniques and the proximity of farms to consumers impact carbon footprints. By reducing tillage on their farm, Sands and Shaevitz protect their soil and the complex systems that live within it. They also avoid burning fossil fuels that typically power tilling equipment.By providing locally grown produce, Sands and Shaevitz also prevent some of the carbon emissions that would otherwise occur through transporting food."If you go to a local store, maybe 5 percent of what you find there might come from within our food shed," said Thomas Reynolds, director of the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research at Slippery Rock University."Produce travels anywhere from 1,500 miles from farms (to the marketplace). It probably changes hands between five and seven times," Reynolds said.The Macoskey Center is devoted to promoting sustainability in the environment through community education and support.Starting a farmers market in the borough five years ago is among the center's notable projects.Beginning with "a couple kids that were selling eggs from a backyard chicken flock and someone selling cookies," the market now features between 15 and 20 vendors, with consumers buying products from all. That market is offered on Saturdays off Elm Street. Grove City also recently began hosting a market on Thursday evenings, with many of the same farmers participating."You can make an argument that food, particularly produce that is being grown in California for sale on the East Coast, is not being grown for its nutritional value or its exceptional flavor."They're focusing on the things that are going to make them money, which is 'Does it look good in the store? Is it bright and shiny and red and very full looking (in the case of tomatoes)? Will it hold up well?'"It's going to be handled many times in two weeks. It's got to look like something you want to eat.""We spend more time deciding on a hairdresser or an auto mechanic than the person who grows our food. How ridiculous is that?" Reynolds said.
The farmers market is just one way the Macoskey Center promotes the idea of sustainability.The center's community education efforts include various demonstrations and events on its 83-acre site, which is home to a small, ecologically sensitive farm.There, people can also see examples of green building technology and recycling projects. A wind turbine exists on site, and the center has offered demonstrations on solar energy and other sustainable energy topics.With energy use among the highest contributors to carbon footprints, Reynolds is a big proponent of making smart choices.However, options often are limited. Currently in the state, for example, coal is the primary means for making electricity."Pennsylvania emits over 10 percent of mercury emissions in the U.S. (from coal)," Reynolds noted."There are a lot of particulates and ground level ozone that are created. So you are going to have air quality issues."Reynolds balanced his criticism by also noting the positive aspects of coal, which include an autonomy not always associated with oil.Although wind-generated power is an emerging possibility for commercially generated power in Pennsylvania — with increased wind plants on the horizon — rate caps that preceded utility deregulation in the state currently undermine wind's cost-effectiveness.Based on the state Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act passed in 2004, utilities are obligated to purchase renewable energy credits once the caps expire, said Calvin Birge, an analyst with the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission.Birge said in the case of Penn Power, the caps have already expired, but Allegheny Power's rate caps will hold until 2010.As part of the deregulation 10 years ago, consumers also can select the company that generates their electricity instead of buying power from companies providing their transmission and delivery service. That means consumers can buy power generated from renewable resources like wind or water, and still pay their local companies for transmission and delivery.Although three companies currently offer wind-generated power in the state — one doing business in Butler County — the cost per kilowatt hour is typically 2Z\x cents above what is charged on the consumer's local bill."You have to understand: Because of rate caps, the shopping has not been good, because it's really hard to compete with the rate caps on," Birge said.Although the state already has seven or eight wind farms — a high number east of the Mississippi — no advances are expected soon."The few providers that were in Western Pennsylvania have left. My guess is they won't be back until the rate caps are off."Birge said the 320- to 400-foot utility scale windmills cost $1 million to construct."Over the long run they're going to pay for themselves, but it's up-front venture capital."To use renewable energy on a smaller scale, some people turn to solar products.Sands and Shaevitz supplement by using a solar oven as well as solar panels that power an electric net that protects their chicken flock from predators and powers livestock water heaters in winter.Although some people opt for wood and pellet stoves for heating, Reynolds says controversy exists around those options: Many feel forests would need to be replenished to justify removing trees from the environment, for instance, and corn for heating is not always considered the best use of farmland."To grow corn in an environmentally friendly way can be challenging — and to use certified organic naturally grown corn for burning is probably not the best use of that resource," he said."It's probably better to eat the corn than to burn it. But if it's a waste product, there may be a small market for burning it, particularly on small farms."
Another tactic for energy conservation includes designing buildings with energy in mind."The hot priority right now is climate change. There's no doubt about it," said Rebecca Flora, executive director of the Pittsburgh Green Building Alliance.In addition to educating the market on green building techniques, the group helps facilitate projects that receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications by the U.S. Green Building Council.According to the nonprofit groups, buildings annually consume more than 30 percent of energy and more than 60 percent of electricity in the U.S.The goal, Flora said, is to spend up-front money on construction to save on energy use over time.A local example of green building is the Regional Learning Alliance in Marshall Township, Allegheny County, built in 2003 and 2004 by Slippery Rock University as an educational mall and conference center.The center received a LEED Silver rating, which requires at least 33 points on a 26- to 52- point scale. The Silver rating is one step above the basic certification and is surpassed by Gold and Platinum ratings, respectively.To achieve the LEED rating, the project took into account building design, materials and location.Although some items like flooring and furniture made from recycled materials will not realize an overhead savings, others will — at least in theory.Classroom lights are triggered by motion, automatically turning off when rooms are still. Larger lights in the open areas are triggered by sunlight to dim and brighten as needed.Special screens also shade windows so the HVAC system isn't burdened by the effects of bright sunlight.While some building components may help reduce costs, general manager Justin Griffith says the new technology is also a hindrance."It's terrific that we're green, but there are cons to it," Griffith said.Those cons include the building's custom heating system, which runs on natural gas and electricity. The system requires frequent repairs, and because of its complexity, the repairs can be costly."Whether or not savings offset the repair costs: that's the question," he noted, speculating solar panels combined with a more conventional furnace might have worked more efficiently.The building's toilets, which use about half the water of a regular toilet, frequently require multiple flushes, counteracting the water-saving intention. And because of the low flow, blockages are common, requiring maintenance workers to clear the plumbing with a snake."It's difficult to get parts," Griffith added of the special equipment. "You can't just go to a regular hardware store and get parts."Griffith said since the RLA was built, green technology has improved."If the (RLA) was being built right now, we'd probably have much more functional equipment. When you're on the forefront, you take what's on the market at the time."
To best use green technology for building, Birge stresses planning ahead."The typical home built in Pennsylvania represents a 50- to 100-year energy liability," he said. "If you miss the opportunity to build an energy-efficient structure, you'll be penalized for that length of time without doing something about it. You're stuck with what's buried in the walls — the way the thermal integrity of the building was put together."Construction aside, Birge suggests practicing good conservation like changing furnace filters and installing a clocked thermostat.Appliances and light bulbs are also key."The compact fluorescent light bulb is a really great way to be more energy efficient in your home," Reynolds said, noting a $25-a-year savings for each compact fluorescent used."Not only are you saving, you're helping to reduce the impact of global climate change. You're reducing the amount of mercury that goes into local waterways. A very simple thing like that can have a much bigger impact."Reynolds also recommends plugging all multimedia equipment into a power strip, then turning it off when not in use.Driving less, driving fuel-efficient cars and driving with properly inflated tires are also methods available to everyone."If all Americans drove their cars with properly inflated tires, we would save enough petroleum in one year to make drilling in (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) seem silly," Reynolds said."We can save in one year the amount of oil the refuge is supposed to have."Sands agrees, but noted conservation-minded people are often faced with tradeoffs. In Sands' case, raising local produce in a remote locale can mean driving more than city dwellers — who can often survive without owning cars."Our lives are organized around environmental considerations," she said."I drive a (Toyota) Prius. We have no dryer. We have no dishwasher. We have no TV. ... It sounds like a very deprived life, but really a lot of people live (this way)."This whole carbon footprint thing, it's a First World pretentious trend. (Many people in) the rest of the world wish they could worry about their carbon footprint."If you want to offset your carbon footprint, sell your SUV, turn off your air conditioner, ride a bike to work and plant a garden.""Do the things our parents taught us when we were kids," Reynolds added."Turn off the lights when you leave the room."
