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The day has finally come. Read all about it:

City of Savannah residents are only months away from being able to recycle at curbside.

The appealing part: They won't have to sort at home. All papers, soda bottles, beer cans and the like can go into the same recycling container in early 2009.

And if a new public-private partnership takes root as city officials hope, it could ignite a regional recycling program that would set up easier, lower-cost recycling for communities throughout Georgia and South Carolina.

That, at least, was the expectation Thursday as the Savannah City Council approved a 10-year contract with Pratt Recycling of Atlanta. Council members voted 6-3, with Larry Stuber, Mary Ellen Sprague and Clifton Jones Jr. voting against. They supported a 20-year contract.

Biodiesel is often touted as a green alternative to gasoline. I was curious how green it really is, so I did a little investigating. This article from the Union of Concerned Scientists (a pro-green site) provided some helpful information. At the most fundamental level, there is this:

According to a model developed by the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), neat (100%) biodiesel from soybeans can cut global warming pollution by more than half relative to conventional petroleum based diesel. The emissions benefits are higher for canola oil.

Sounds like we are off a good start. There are a couple things to keep in mind as we proceed, though. Biodiesel produces greenhouse gases. If you convert to biodiesel and increase the amount you drive, thinking "it's all good'" you have made an error in judgment. Also, and we'll get back to this in a moment, these comparisons are being made to petroleum diesel, not conventional gasoline engines.

Much of the world's biodiesel is being produced from food crops, which involves either using existing crop land for fuel production or clearing of forests for planting. If forests are cleared for planting, we lose the carbon sequestration those trees would have provided. It is possible that the entire life cycle of carbon emissions created by producing biodiesel in this way is greater than that for petroleum. Now, the good news: "When biodiesel is made from recycled food oil or other waste products these land use considerations do not apply." The problem is that while you might think that using waste would be the obvious way to go, there are still a number of issues with using it on a large scale. In the mean time, the soybean biodiesel industry is growing.

So, if you are running your car off of waste oil you collect from restaurants, you are indeed cutting greenhouse gases. Same if you are converting waste oil to biodiesel in your backyard. But as we press forward in our search for alternative fuels, we need to keep in mind that most people will be using commercial fuels produced from food crops, which to reiterate, may give no lifecycle benefit at all. However, there are couple of future technologies that could change the equation dramatically. One is "biomass gasification [which] may allow the use of other waste streams to be converted to synthetic diesel fuels, expanding the pool of potentially low carbon diesel." Another is "non-conventional sources like algae [which] may have the potential to provide dramatic (90%) reductions in global warming pollution." But those are not going to be happening any time soon.

There is one more issue, and it's one that often seems to get little airtime these days. Remember when environmentalism was mainly about pollution—clean air, clean water, and all that. Well, when comparing biodiesel to petroleum diesel, the effects on pollution are mixed:

biodiesel can offer distinct environmental advantages over petroleum diesel fuel.  ... the use of biodiesel blends in an existing diesel vehicle can reduce the emissions of the tailpipe pollutants associated with conventional diesel including particulate matter (PM or soot) and hydrocarbons (HC).  However, using biodiesel may result in greater emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxides than using conventional diesel.

So, some good and some bad news there. But here's the thing though, all diesels (bio and petrol) are bad for the environment in terms of emissions other than greenhouse gases relative to gasoline-powered vehicles:

Gasoline-powered models are better than traditional diesel and biodiesel vehicles on toxic soot and smog-forming emissions. Diesels can produce as much as 10 to 20 times more toxic particulates than their gasoline counterparts, more than can be made up for with the use of biodiesel. Diesels fair even worse when it comes to smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions, with greater than 20 times the emissions of a comparable gasoline vehicle.

So, while biodiesel is better than petrol diesel in some ways and worse in others, both are far worse than gasoline in this regard. In the rush to slow global warming, we can't forget about the devastating effects of other emissions on the environment. And while global warming is a long term threat to our planet, these other emissions can cause very serious short term harm (as well as long term harm). You are thus doing a better thing for the planet if you buy a gasoline car that's gets 40 mpg than you are if you convert an older diesel that gets 20 mpg to run on 100% biodiesel. (Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that. The best cases scenarios for biodiesel assume you are using 100% of the fuel to run your vehicle. However, petrol diesels need to be converted to do this. That'll cost you about $2,000. One more thing: I just noticed that sites that are touting biodiesel and selling related products have a decidedly different analysis of the carbon emissions related to biodiesel—in fact, calling it carbon neutral.) For now, I am going to trust a non-profit group of scientists who are concerned with the overall issues over companies trying to make a buck. 

Most astute greens are aware that corn ethanol is one of the biggest scams that has ever been perpetrated on the world. As a result, many folks are looking forward to a future where biofuels are produced primarily from other sources. These sources include a variety of non-food crops that are hardy, fast-growing, and thrive on marginal land unsuited for food crops. In fact, investors have already ramped up planting of such crops. Not so fast, though. The New York Times reports that there may be environmental risks of another sort associated with such crops:

Most of these newer crops are what scientists label invasive species — that is, weeds — that have an extraordinarily high potential to escape biofuel plantations, overrun adjacent farms and natural land, and create economic and ecological havoc in the process, they now say.

We are about to see some head-butting, not only between traditional agricultural interests and biofuel entrepreneurs, but also between conservations and the biofuel avant-garde. For example, there is jatropha:

Jatropha, the darling of the second-generation biofuels community, is now being cultivated widely in East Africa in brand new biofuel plantations. But jatropha has been recently banned by two Australian states as an invasive species. If jatropha, which is poisonous, overgrows farmland or pastures, it could be disastrous for the local food supply in Africa, experts said.

Then, there is the giant reed:

A proposed Florida biofuel plantation and plant, also using giant reed, has been greeted with enthusiasm by investors, its energy sold even before it is built.

But the project has been opposed by the Florida Native Plants Society and a number of scientists because of its proximity to the Everglades, where giant reed overgrowth could be dangerous, they said. The giant reed, previously used mostly in decorations and in making musical instruments — is a fast-growing, thirsty species that has drained wetlands and clogged drainage systems in other places where it has been planted. It is also highly flammable and increases the risk of fires.

Admittedly, it's a bit disheartening to read this. However, it's also a stark and important reminder that the fixes to our environmental problems are not going to be easy. These are many variables to consider with each step we take. However, we also need to act somewhat quickly. This makes it all the more clear that significant resources need to be devoted to solutions so that we may move both cautiously and yet with the speed necessary to effect meaningful change.

We have an important primary coming and Savannahians have an opportunity to unseat John Barrow, who is a prime example of a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). He is being challenged by Regina Thomas:

[who has] served Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Savannah, and Thunderbolt in the Georgia General Assembly as ... Senator for eight (8) years - 2000 – 2008; and as ... Representative for four (4) years) - 1995 –1998.

Regina is a candidate a green will be quite happy with. Here are a few of things she stands for:

• Protecting homeless children
• Promoting centers which serve disadvantaged children
• Providing better services for the blind and deaf
• Preserving the environmental quality and promoting public health
• Fighting against government measures dictating citizens' lives
• Safeguarding the environment from high-level radioactive wastes
• Conserving and protecting basic resources like water
• Combating crime
• Providing rehabilitation services for prisoners
• Promoting basic community services
• Improving the standards of the justice system Serving District 2 better through collaborating with the Chairman of Chatham County Commission and Mayors of cities
• Increasing funding for trauma hospitals
• Identifying weaknesses in the school system and improving the standard of education
• Establishing research & development centers for industrial innovations
  Collaboration.

hello,

  I am developing a sustainable community around my existing 25 acre organic farm in Effingham county.  Please check out my website.  It's a long address but if you google " Green Bridge Farm"  it should take you right to it.  I have been working this farm for almost 20 years and it seems that all that work was meant for the present time.  I've been racking my brain to figure out how savannahians could enjoy affordable  local organic produce and I decided it would be cheaper in the long run to bring the people to the produce rather than bringing the produce to the people.   We are circleing our wagons around my organic homestead.  i've done battle with the Effingham County buracracy for the last year and a half and they have finally agreed to let me build gravel roads rather tha asphalt. I'm very excited about this project and i would love to get some feedback from the green community.  Consider this a pour man's Barbour Point with an existing organic farm with fruit orchards and vegetable plots thrown in.  Please contact me with your opinions and  interests at  667-1118.  summer Teal has agreed to do a story in the connect on the project and there has already been astory published in Effigham Now which you can link to from my website,  Betsey Brairton has also done a story on the project on Sustainable Savannah.  Thanks  Michael

Most astute greens are aware that corn ethanol is one of the biggest scams that has ever been perpetrated on the world. As a result, many folks are looking forward to a future where biofuels are produced primarily from other sources. These sources include a variety of non-food crops that are hardy, fast-growing, and thrive on marginal land unsuited for food crops. In fact, investors have already ramped up planting of such crops. Not so fast, though. The New York Times reports that there may be environmental risks of another sort associated with such crops:

Most of these newer crops are what scientists label invasive species — that is, weeds — that have an extraordinarily high potential to escape biofuel plantations, overrun adjacent farms and natural land, and create economic and ecological havoc in the process, they now say.

We are about to see some head-butting, not only between traditional agricultural interests and biofuel entrepreneurs, but also between conservations and the biofuel avant-garde. For example, there is jatropha:

Jatropha, the darling of the second-generation biofuels community, is now being cultivated widely in East Africa in brand new biofuel plantations. But jatropha has been recently banned by two Australian states as an invasive species. If jatropha, which is poisonous, overgrows farmland or pastures, it could be disastrous for the local food supply in Africa, experts said.

Then, there is the giant reed:

A proposed Florida biofuel plantation and plant, also using giant reed, has been greeted with enthusiasm by investors, its energy sold even before it is built.

But the project has been opposed by the Florida Native Plants Society and a number of scientists because of its proximity to the Everglades, where giant reed overgrowth could be dangerous, they said. The giant reed, previously used mostly in decorations and in making musical instruments — is a fast-growing, thirsty species that has drained wetlands and clogged drainage systems in other places where it has been planted. It is also highly flammable and increases the risk of fires.

Admittedly, it's a bit disheartening to read this. However, it's also a stark and important reminder that the fixes to our environmental problems are not going to be easy. These are many variables to consider with each step we take. However, we also need to act somewhat quickly. This makes it all the more clear that significant resources need to be devoted to solutions so that we may move both cautiously and yet with the speed necessary to effect meaningful change.

Nicholas Kristof writes in a Times op-ed piece today about efforts to preserve the rainforest. He notes:

Somewhere in the world, we humans cut down an area of jungle the size of a football field every second of every day, and deforestation now contributes as much to global warming as all the carbon emitted by the United States. By one calculation, four years of deforestation have the same carbon footprint as all flights in the history of aviation up until the year 2025.

He then goes on to describe a scheme being used in Ecuador to try to reverse the trend:

They have joined forces to protect the rain forest by working with local inhabitants, trying to create incentives for them to leave trees standing — while also raising local living standards. “Save the Rain Forest” bumper stickers don’t sustain local families, who earn an average of only $300 per year and see trees as a way to boost their incomes.

“People have to make a living,” Mr. McMeekin [an American businessman living in Ecuador] said. “But they can chop down 50 acres of forest to make a pasture, or they can earn the same income by chopping down 5 acres and planting cacao.”

Not only are they decreasing the deforestation by 90%, but their company also provides an outlet for the cacao. They are also providing family planning to ease population pressures and running a high school

Why this interested me, besides the obvious, is that I have been thinking about a pilot issue to use this site to organize around. One purpose of GreenSpace Savannah is to create an online vehicle for organizing for community action. Since preservation of green spaces stands to make as much of a dent in global warming as just about anything else we might collectively do, it seems like a good possible direction. Admittedly, I don't know much about the state of conservation issues in Georgia, but my hunch would be that with all the development currently going on locally and in the state as a whole, there are some real concerns. Land is no doubt being cleared for housing and business—I do keep hearing about fast the county is expected to grow in the next decade or so.

So, a few ideas that come to mind center around planting (and/or protecting) green living stuff that has high carbon-sequestration ability. I don't know if this is on the table yet, but the county might want to consider urban-growth boundaries. (After reading these Land Use Principles for Georgia, I can see there is an opposing force to contend with.) Getting some county-wide agreement could prevent the issues that come up with when one municipality adopts such restrictions, causing an explosion of uncontrolled growth in nearby towns. With regard to planting and/or protecting green stuff, I read recently that many grasses are even better at sequestering carbon than trees. (See a bunch of articles on the subject of grasses for carbon sequestration. As an aside, while virgin forest is no doubt better for the planet than pastured land, some of these articles suggest that pastured cattle—if the right grass is used—may be better for the planet in terms of greenhouse gas emissions than mechanized vegetable farming in many cases, but I digress.) This lends further weight to efforts to protect grassy marsh areas so prevalent in these parts, not just for things like species protection, which unfortunately has been an issue difficult to rally the masses around.

Anyway, I am going to put a poll in the forums as soon as I have a chance asking for members to vote on what issue we should focus on first as a group, the goal being to demonstrate the potential power of this medium to effect change. (Hey, if the Internet has practically put a first-term junior senator from Illinois into the White House, who knows what is possible?)

Update: After some ad hoc discussions this past week and bit of synchronicity, I am leaning toward a community gardens initiative. I just started a community with in GreenSpace specifically for organizing around this idea. If this is an interest of your, please join at http://www.greenspacesavannah.org/comgar/. 

Here's a press release about a cool event: 

Following the Earth Day Festival at Forsyth Park (3:30 p.m., Saturday, April 19) the inaugural Savannah Wheelie ride will depart from the south end of the park and proceed on a short, police escorted ride designed as a social ride suitable for families. We are pleased to have Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson and Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis leading our first ride!
 
The Savannah Wheelie, sponsored by the Savannah Bicycle Campaign and the Coastal Georgia Greenway, is intended to raise awareness of bicycles and their benefits to our community. Immediately following the ride, we will proceed to Blowin’ Smoke, 514 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. for the Post Wheelie Dealie, a festival celebrating bicycles including live music and a silent auction.
 
Future Savannah Wheelie bike rides will be on the third Sunday of each month at 3:30 p.m.

About the Savannah Bicycle Campaign
 
The Savannah Bicycle Campaign promotes bicycling for recreation, for transportation, for fun! Our objectives are to work through the political process to develop more and better bicycle facilities for Savannah—improved bike lanes, racks, and signage—and to develop a public campaign to educate bicyclists and drivers about safe practices on and off the roadways. Ultimately, we hope to foster an inclusive approach to make our communities more livable, connected, and safe.

Contact:
Paul Razza
Savannah Bicycle Campaign
(912) 398-0551
paulrazza@gmail.com

http://sustainablesavannah.com/advocacy/scad-student-groups-launch-new

Two Savannah College of Art and Design student organizations that have environmental focuses now have new Web sites.

Project Green grew out of SCAD’s School of Building Arts to include students from all academic majors. Last year I wrote a profile of the group’s leader, Paul Schwartzkopf for SCAD’s now defunct faculty/staff newspaper. You can read it here. The group is currently led by Brian Bessenaire, who was mentioned previously on Sustainable Savannah here.

Students for a Better Environment has been around for more than a decade and has been part of the college’s Service Opportunities for Students program in recent years. SBE’s site is still a little short of content, but I hope it will be up to speed soon.

Disclosure: I am a SCAD employee.