Staunton Green 2020

via  Gerald P. McCarthy, Executive Director, Virginia Environmental Endowment

EPA MAKES TSCA INVENTORY AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR FREE

EPA celebrated Sunshine Week by putting online for free the large list of chemicals in U.S. commerce. It was a first.

Wait a minute. It was actually two firsts. EPA has never before celebrated Sunshine Week, as far as the WatchDog (who watches these things closely) knows.

The list is known as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory. Technically, it includes about 84,000 chemicals being used in U.S. commerce. Of these, some 17,000 are kept secret because manufacturers allege that they are trade secrets. The list has been available to the public, but access was difficult, and EPA charged a fee for providing it. EPA announced on March 15, 2010, that it was putting the database (minus secret portions) online for free, so that the entire public could get easy access.

– EPA Release of March 15, 2010 <http://bit.ly/a609Bq>.

– “States Push EPA, Congress to Curb Business Confidentiality Claims for Chemicals,” Greenwire,  March 1, 2010, by Sara Goodman <http://nyti.ms/cQl9rm>.

– “Bit by Bit, EPA Opening Up Toxics Program,” The Fine Print blog, OMB Watch,  March 15, 2010, by Brian Turnbaugh <http://www.ombwatch.org/node/10833>.

Reid's water heater

By Reid Oechslin

This winter I tried some ideas I’ve had for saving energy in my home. They may be a little odd, and they certainly wouldn’t apply to everybody. They’re things I’ve thought about as I was falling asleep or waking up. Ideas that come to me that way can either be great or terrible. I will spare you the terrible ones, and try to pass along the keepers. It’ll take me several articles to do it.

My family lives in a split-level house built in 1972. It was an amazing time. America could fund the arts, send men to the moon, fight the Vietnam War and build the interstate highway system. People were regularly predicting that energy would soon be “too cheap to meter.” Our 3000 square-foot house has a 600 amp electrical service–that’s three times the size of the power panel in new homes–because it has an electrically-heated driveway! (Or it HAD an electrically-heated driveway–I turned it on once after we bought the house and I heard sparking noises coming from the grass around it. I decided to take pity on the neighborhood dogs and turned it off permanently.)

Along with our interesting driveway feature was another convenience: no matter which hot-water faucet you turned on in the house, you’d have hot water within a few seconds. Remember, it’s a split-level, and it’s a long, narrow house, so the gas water heater is really far from the bathrooms that serve the bedrooms. How’d they do that? I did some checking and found that instead of two pipes connected to my hot water heater, I had three: one for the cold water to go in, one for the hot water to go out, and another for the cooler hot water that flowed in a loop past all the faucets to go back into the hot water heater. Hot water was slowly circulating through the pipes in my house all the time, so hot water was only a few feet away from any faucet. The really hot water would flow out of the top of the heater, through the hot water loop, and, since it was cooling off as it made its way through my basement and the uninsulated ceiling of my cold garage, it would be slightly heavier than the newly-heated water when it returned to the bottom of the water heater. No pumps, just convection. Brilliant–no wasted water going down the drain, and no wasted time waiting for hot water to arrive. Except–my hot water heater, with its nice blanket of insulation, was not the only repository of my hot water. It was as if the uninsulated hot water pipes were little radiators heating the basement and the garage. That’s really not where I wanted to put my heating dollars, so I closed the valve where the cooler water went back into the water heater. (If you’re curious about what orifice the cooler water uses to go back into the heater, it goes back in through the valve at the bottom that you use to drain the tank.)

Almost immediately I got negative feedback from my wife: “We don’t have any hot water!” After I explained what I had done and why, she still didn’t like the idea of the wait, and the idea of wasting the water that comes out as you wait. (She is from the Caribbean, where rainwater is collected in cisterns, and there is no other water supply. If you run out, you call the water truck to make a delivery, which is expensive. It’s a system that stresses personal responsibility.) I did feel guilty about the water that was wasted, and decided to measure how much water was going down the drain during the warmup. It turned out to be, at most, two gallons. What to do about that?

I decided that if the pipes were insulated, the water in them would stay hot longer. I couldn’t reach everything to insulate it, but was lucky that the ceilings in part of the downstairs areas and the garage were suspended tiles–I suppose to make maintenance and  repairs easier. I found that the cheaper, stiffer kind of foam pipe insulation worked better, because after you snap it around the pipe, you can push it along the pipe with another piece of insulation, even into areas that you can see but can’t get to. And the insulation did turn out to work somewhat– if you open a faucet up to two hours later, what comes out is at least warmer than it would have been, and the new hot water coming up the pipe isn’t trying to warm up every foot of that pipe from, say, 50 degrees. It certainly doesn’t work for the first shower of the day, though.

I did some rationalizing–the waste of water is not as bad as the waste of energy and the greenhouse gas emissions from the water heater. My best guess was that the insulation and the circulation change saves 15 percent off the gas bill. At my house, that’s 30 bucks a month, at least during the winter months.  It will probably be less of a difference in the summer, when the basement and garage are warmer and robbing less heat from the pipes. Still, well worth doing. What could be easier than closing a valve?

You probably don’t live in a house that has recirculated hot water, and you probably don’t have as much access to the pipes as I do, but you do probably live in a house that has bare copper pipes sticking out of the top of the water heater. Even insulating the first few feet of that pipe–that is constantly radiating heat away from the hot water tank–will make a difference. Most likely, you don’t spend a lot of time  next to your water heater, basking in the heat it is radiating.

Note that if you have a gas water heater like mine, the gas flue chimney is very close to the cold and hot water pipes that come out of the heater. Don’t use plastic foam pipe insulation next to that flue, because of the risk of fire. Instead, use fiberglass that won’t burn. The cheap fiberglass solution is just a band of the fuzzy insulation itself, with no backing, that you wrap around the pipe. It works, but for a little more swank factor, you can buy tubes of pre-formed fiberglass that fits around the pipe like a clamshell (buy the right size to fit around the pipe, usually 3/4″). It has a white outside coating, and even a self-adhesive flap that makes it neat. In this area, Home Depot and Hajoca carry it; Lowe’s does not. Next time I’ll tell you about my 1972 furnace and what I did to it.

Copyright 2010 Reid Oechslin

Reid is a SG2020 steering committee member and owner of Sound Light Image, LLC.

Are you eligible for an energy-efficiency rebate? Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling’s office just allocated new funds to support Virginians who make energy upgrades. Details below:

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Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced that approximately $6.5 million is available for a second round of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program to make homes and businesses more energy efficient.  Energy efficiency improvements include upgrading heating and air conditioning equipment, adding insulation, replacing leaky windows, and other improvements that reduce energy consumption and utility costs.  Homeowners are eligible for rebates for 20 percent of the costs of qualifying energy conserving products and services, up to $2,000.  Commercial consumers are eligible for 20 percent of their costs, up to $4,000. Qualified home and business owners also can reserve an additional $250 for a certified energy audit.

Three appliances have been added to the program for the second round; refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers. The online application, rules, forms and additional information are available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.

Applicants can apply to reserve funding for a rebate.  Once approved, they then have up to six months to complete the work and redeem the reservation for a rebate check.    Applications for rebate reservations will be processed in the order they are received.  Once reservations deplete available funds, applications will be placed on a wait list in the order received.  Wait-listed applicants may be approved for rebate reservations if additional funds become available. (The first round of funding for efficiency rebates totaling about $10 million was sold out in less than three weeks when the program opened in late October.)

The Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. More information is available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.

A separate Solar and Wind Incentive Program also has opened a $3.5 million second round of funding to help defray the costs of solar electric, solar thermal and small wind energy systems for residents, businesses, and non-profits. Information is available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.

Join Staunton Green 2020, Valley Conservation Council and Transition Augusta as we offer a free screening of the film “Dirt”. The film starts at 7pm. Doors open for dinner or drinks prior to the film at 5:30pm.

More info about the film at www.dirtthemovie.org

See you there!

…and do you want to gain experience or make a difference in the following areas:

• Natural & Other Disaster Services
• Environmental Stewardship & Conservation
• Urban and Rural Development
• Energy Conservation
• Infrastructure Improvement

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) invites potential Project Sponsors in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia to apply for our teams of developing leaders. This class marks the second year of NCCC’s Southern Region Campus in Vicksburg, MS, and the 17^th year NCCC has been strengthening communities and developing leaders nationwide.

The Southern Region Campus assigns teams to service projects lasting 3-8 weeks, to help communities meet their most compelling needs. Teams are available during four rounds (see table below). Round start and end dates listed below are subject to change, and proposed projects need not fill the entire round.

We have developed a simple two-step process to apply for a team: a Project Concept Form and a Project Application. Potential sponsors must complete a Concept Form. If the Project Concept Form meets NCCC requirements and regional priorities, a full application will be requested.

To get involved, contact Staunton Green 2020 and we’ll put you in touch with the local contact.

Taylor Cole is the man who can tell you, directly, what it’s like to grow switchgrass. Plus, he can share observation about the market potential for selling switchgrass. He’s such a believer he started Conservation Partners LLC.

He was kind enough to share his slides from this week’s “Switching to Grass and Fueling Staunton and Augusta” event.  For your convenience, there are notes below:

Slides 1-7 – Photos of Cole’s property where he grows switchgrass. He’s had the stand since 1999.

Slide 8-11 – Switchgrass can be harvested with farm equipment many farmers already own. It’s rolled into bales like hay.

Slide 12 – The main maintenance required is a controlled burn every few years.

Slide 13 – Mr. Cole in front of a switchgrass bale.

Slide 14 – Three current switchgrass projects that could be used for inspiration – one in Iowa, one in Texas – and one here in Virginia.

Slides 15-19 – You can burn switchgrass in conventional, coal burning furnaces. For example, here in Virginia, the Piedmont Geriatric Hospital is using switchgrass to heat the hospital.

Slides 20-21 – The need — for 10,000 tons of boiler-ready WSG (warm season grasses) to use as fuel – must be accomplished by collecting grasses nearby… which means there’s plenty of opportunity.

Slide 22 – Converting land into productive switchgrass is great for the wildlife and environment. But growing switchgrass can also keep more farm land from being lost.

Slide 23-25 – Growing switchgrass can provide ample fuel.

Remaining slides show photos and maps.

For your enjoyment, we’re doing a brief re-cap on this week’s switchgrass event. Our guests were kind enough to share their presentation slides.

Bobby Whitescarver, District Conservationist from Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation kicked things off with this presentation. In it,

Slides 4-7 – you’ll see photos of switchgrass, a warm season grass (wsg), grown on local farms.

Slide 8 – switchgrass being burned and used as a heat source

Slide 9 – here, heating a chicken coop

Slide 10 – This 60-foot border will be planted with switchgrass for wildlife benefits. (For quail and other endangered Virginia birds.)

Slide 11 – Indian grass (native and beautiful)

Slide 12 – A controlled burn – used every few years to reinvigorate switchgrass production.

What stands out for you from his presentation?

A big thanks to our panel – and all the attendees – for coming out to the SG2020 event, “Switching to Grass in Staunton and Augusta County” last night.

Please comment here if you have questions you’d like to pass along to our panel of experts, and, what you thought.

We’re planning more events that capture the Staunton Green 2020 mission to build community partnerships that through education, research and collaboration:

~ Reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions

~ Increase renewable energy

~ Generate Green jobs

~ Preserve green space

~ Facilitate sustainable community development

Also, thanks to Mary Baldwin College for hosting. See you at our next event:

Dirt, The Movie
Thur. Mar. 18 @ 7pm

• Mockingbird Restaurant – Downtown Staunton (doors open at 5:30pm for delicious dinner)
• A free, fast-paced film about the threatened life sustaining soil on which we depend
• Co-sponsored by Transition Staunton Augusta & Valley Conservation Council

Switching to Grass and Fueling Staunton and Augusta County

Tue. Mar. 9 – 7pm @ Francis Auditorium (in the Pearce Science Center)
On the campus of Mary Baldwin College (corner of Coalter & Frederick Streets)
#14 on this map: http://www.mbc.edu/docs/admin_docs/campusmap.pdf

Growing switchgrass in Augusta County and burning it as a clean, local and profitable fuel source for boilers and furnaces. Featuring:

* Taylor Cole – President, Conservation Partners, LLC & Warm Season Grass grower

* Ken Convery – Biologist/Project Manager, Conservation Management Institute, VA Tech

* Dale Reeves – Local Farmer using switchgrass for poultry house bedding

* Robert Whitescarver – District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service

LOCATION:
Mary Baldwin College – Francis Auditorium
(corner of Coalter and Frederick Streets)

By Bruce Dorries | The Staunton News-Leader, March 7, 2010

As spring marches —or rolls, sluggishly —into the Queen City this month, get ready for captivating close ups and breath-taking panoramas.

Lights, sound, camera, action! Very soon, we’ll see illuminating green scenes, if not yet in the landscape then on downtown big screens.

To begin this preview, two thumbs up for Patagonia’s Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival that begins 7 p.m., March 25 at the Visulite Cinema.

Wild Virginia, an area grassroots organization, hosts the event. The nonprofit works to preserve natural ecosystems in the Commonwealth’s national forests.

Wild and Scenic films portray our beautiful lands and the people of the communities who love and defend them. These movies entertain, but also highlight issues, provide solutions and call for action. That’s my kind of cinema — pragmatic escapism. If that’s possible.

Hold on to your stadium seating —you can take the whole family to see all eight short films at the festival, which runs about two hours. Anything is possible on celluloid.
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