RITA WATSON

from The Providence Journal and World News Network, Sunday June 7, 2009

AMERICA HAS FALLEN in love with green. We are enamored with the words “energy-efficient,” “renewable” and “sustainable.” Rachel Carson, who sounded the environmental alarm with her book Silent Spring, in 1962, must be thinking, “It’s about time.”

I talked about the new global consciousness with Professor Adil Najam, one of the climate-change scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. He said, “Energy is important to our economy and our society, but we ignore that it is a basic human need and social need. Most of us do not know where our energy comes from, but many in developing countries know. People walk for miles to gather wood for fuel. For thousands of years people have used renewable energy as their primary source. For many it still is.”

Dr. Najam, director of the Pardee Center, at Boston University, added, “While today we talk about wind and solar as new forms of energy, in fact, coal and oil are the new energy forms. But, the word ‘energy’ must be unhooked from oil. When it comes to different forms of energy, these must fit with community needs. There needs to be a working together. It is about socialization and negotiation, not just about technology. Societal change happens through societal negotiations.”

Greg Chafee, a lawyer who focuses on energy, infrastructure finance and green industry, says negotiations and partnerships are key. “Our role as counsel is to steer energy projects through the legal, legislative and regulatory processes. Resolving issues and concerns by consensus can be vital to moving these projects forward.” Chafee practices with the international law firm of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP.

Court battles with NIMBYs — not-in-my-backyard types — can stall projects for years, as documented in Cape Wind, by Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb (of this page). The book is an entertaining, but disturbing, depiction of delay tactics by the opposition — the Kennedy clan and neighbors who had interests in mining, oil, gas and coal.

A few weeks ago, I called James Gordon, Cape Wind’s chief executive, just as he learned of another legal victory in his efforts to put up the Cape Wind wind-turbine project. He was very happy, as are environmental groups. But Gordon pointed out, “Environmental groups were cautious and did not spring immediately to support [Cape Wind]. They wanted to read the reports before they endorsed us. And we delivered some 50,000 pages. The groups who believed in our mission waited for results. The propagandists simply sprung into action and raised $25 million to defeat us.”

Now that the visionary Gordon has apparently prevailed, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, delivering electricity for the Cape and Islands, will probably become a reality. Sculptures in motion will save dollars, protect residents’ lungs in what is now an area with heavy air pollution, and, as Gordon noted, “deliver clean, renewable and affordable energy.”

Going green is as much about new building concepts as it is about energy production itself. Last week Washington University, in St. Louis, unveiled the nation’s “greenest home,” exceeding all environmental standards. It comes at a time when Environment America’s advocacy report says buildings account for 40 percent of total U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions.

Mayors have been taking note. The U.S. Conference of Mayors will be hosted in Providence June 12-16 by Mayor David Cicilline. Mayor Cicilline, who recently mandated green standards for new municipal buildings, was cited by Grist Magazine as one of 15 green-leaning mayors.

One of the problems with going green, of course, is tight money during a recession. Some commercial investors are sustaining major losses, even on traditional buildings.

Architect Roger Manny of Jacobs Global Buildings, part of Jacobs Engineering Group, is talking creativity. “What we are trying to do is to encourage retailers in the development of methods for saving energy — such as daylight harvesting linked through controls to efficient lighting and also capturing waste heat from refrigeration equipment for heating purposes.” He added, “Nonetheless, it is hard to convince people that if they spend now, they will see a return on investment soon enough down the line.”

Special financial incentives should help. Bruce Hrovat, executive vice president of Global Transaction Services at Citizens Financial Group, said, “Subsidies are a useful encouragement to homeowners who may have to start small, renovating in increments towards their goal.

“Subsidizing green housing is like saving money during a difficult economy. I tell people just save what you can and keep on saving. It’s the time value of money. Eventually it will add up. The same concept holds true with green housing. Invest what you can in green renovations, continue with a goal towards total reduction in your carbon footprint, and eventually we will see communities go green — one house at a time.”

Green may be the new color to love, but I would still like red roses on Valentine’s Day.

WORLD NEWS NETWORK, Rita_Watson_Our_love_affair_with_green

Rita Watson: Our love affair with green | Contributors | projo.com …

The rainforest video can be found here.