The Blog

OPINION / COMMENTARY

The following excerpt is from an article published in The Buffalo News, written by Walter Simpson.  A retired University Energy Officer for 26 years and former director of the UB Green Office at the SUNY University at Buffalo, Simpson organized and leads a 20 group coalition, the Clean Energy for Jamestown Campaign, which is opposed to the construction of a new coal-burning power plant in Jamestown, NY, and in favor of an efficiency-based energy plan.  The article was published as a "Viewpoints" essay on Earth Day, April 22, 2012, and can be read in its entirety on Simpson's website Energy Really Matters.

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Environmental Stakes Are High In the Upcoming Presidential Election

Obama’s record is mixed bag but Republican victory would reverse environmental progress

Earth Day is more than celebrating the little things we do to protect the environment.  It’s time to look more broadly at environmental policy and take our planet’s pulse.

Are we doing enough to protect nature and endangered species and reduce air and water pollution?  Are we maximizing the green jobs and public health benefits of environmental protection?  Are we rapidly developing new green technologies to compete with global green export leaders like China and Germany?

Daring to answer these questions honestly is difficult.  We all have our own priorities and problems.  We are endlessly distracted by cell phones, computers, video games, hundreds of TV channels, advertising and shopping. We lead busy lives, detached from nature.

The Niagara and Buffalo Rivers face ongoing pollution from both sewage and stormwater outfalls.  Raw sewage from combined sewer overflows creates a health risk for those who might come into contact with our local waterways while also reducing oxygen levels for fish.  To deal with this, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper has proposed Green Infrastructure solutions to the problem.

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Buffalo Sewer Authority Announces Plan to Reduce Combined Sewer Overflows

Please Join Riverkeeper in Advocating for Green Infrastructure Solutions to Our Combined Sewer Problem

The Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) has proposed a Draft Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) for the reduction of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) associated with the City’s Sewer System. CSOs occur when precipitation-related flows overwhelm the sewer system causing untreated sewage to be discharged into area waterways. The BSA is conducting its third round of community outreach meetings at various locations throughout the City of Buffalo to seek input on its proposed LTCP.

Riverkeeper has been working hard to ensure meaningful, timely inclusion of Green Infrastructure in the BSA's LTCP.  Please attend the meetings and advocate for alternative UA2 (see page ESA - 7) as the preferred Plan. Riverkeeper will publish preliminary comments on our website and have comments available at the meetings.

Editor's Note: National Bike Month is right around the corner!  With perfect timing Don Duggan-Haas of the Paleontological Research Institute and It's Museum of the Earth submitted this blog article and video about where gasoline goes.  When you consider climate change and worldwide efforts to reduce carbon dioxide released into the atmposphere, gasoline gives us alot to think about.  According to the figures in this article, those of us driving gasoline-fueled cars are leaving a very large carbon footprint.  Perhaps Don's article can be just the push we all need to take part in National Bike Month.  Stay tuned to Grow for more details.

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You put gas in your tank and at the end of the week it's gone.  Where did it go?  This post uses animations to step you through the surprising answers.  The answers will probably surprise you even if you think you already know the answer.  Consider how many balloons you would need to hold the carbon dioxide released from burning a gallon of gasoline.

It's not unusual for an American to put about 10 gallons of gas into his or her car each week.  At the end of the week, that gasoline is seemingly just gone, but we know from middle school science class that matter can neither be created nor destroyed, only changed in form.

The following excerpt is from an article by David J. Hill at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.  The entire article is published on the University at Buffalo's website.

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The Solar Strand

Blending art with science, UB's solar array highlights the potential for renewable energy