The city of Ithaca, New York is beginning to make huge strides in combating climate change with their focus on climate-proofing buildings on a large scale. As of now, 40% of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. come from residential and commercial buildings. This is because 40% of the United States’ energy is directed towards buildings for lighting, heating, cooling, and appliances. On top of this, 30% of the electricity used in buildings comes from coal burning power plants that produce greenhouse gases. The central goal of Ithaca’s “Green New Deal,” which the town council unanimously adopted in June 2019, is to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The city’s focus on retrofitting buildings is a big part of their plan. The installation of electric heating systems, solar panels, and battery storage will help reduce the city’s reliance on fossil fuels and push it towards a greener future.
To help motivate building owners to transition to renewable energy, Luis Aguirre-Torres, Ithaca’s new director of sustainability, has developed a plan based on private equity. Ithaca normally has a total budget of less than $80 million, but Aguirre-Torres has been able to raise $100 million towards the cause through investors. Aguirre-Torres has created a low risk, high potential lending program that provides low or no interest loans and fast implementation of the new technology. This program will allow building owners to switch from using gas appliances to electric ones without involving any high upfront costs. But how can this lending program stay affordable? Aguirre-Torres has come up with a plan for that as well. Ithaca is reducing risk by scaling the program to accommodate 1,000 commercial and residential buildings in the first 1,000 days. This would allow for consistent work for contractors while lowering material costs. Ithaca also plans on using a $10 million loan loss reserve, backed by the state, to act as a guarantee for lenders in case anything goes wrong. Insurance will also be put in place in case of any critical losses that come from unforeseen events such as the pandemic.
With everything going right, money will be able to be offered to building owners as little to no interest loans that are paid back through utility bill savings. Additionally, with loans being backed by the city, low income families can still have access to the program even if their credit history prevents them from taking out private loans. These types of cash incentives and on-bill repayment programs have been enacted in other places in the United States such as New York City and California. However, this system only works if the municipality-owned utilities allow for loan repayment via bill savings. These savings depend on the rate for gas and electricity in the market as well. This is why it is important for people to look into the cost-benefit analysis for their own homes and see if joining in on this program could be beneficial. If enough people are willing to join, the new program in Ithaca could be a huge success, and potentially act as an example for other cities across the country to follow in the future.
New York Vehicles to be Emission Free by 2035
By Jacob Stewart
Governor Kathy Hochul has recently announced that New York State will be taking new action to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by aggressively targeting the transportation sector. Governor Hochul has signed legislation that sets a goal for all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state of New York to be zero-emission by 2035. Under this law, any new off-road vehicle and equipment sold in New York are also to be zero-emission by 2035, and new medium duty and heavy duty vehicles are to be zero-emission by 2045. A zero-emission vehicle development strategy will be created by 2023, being led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
“New York is implementing the nation’s most aggressive plan to reduce the greenhouse gas emission affecting our climate and to reach our ambitious goals, we must reduce emissions from the transportation sector, currently the largest source of the state’s climate pollution,” said Governor Hochul.
This regulation would lead to improved air quality across the state, especially in communities who are disproportionately affected by transportation-related pollution. This regulation would also help New York reach its goal of an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050, as was mandated in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). This is a good sign that New York is committed to combating climate change, and will hopefully act as an example for other states to follow.
CCAA holds its monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of every month. If you’d like to learn more feel free to email cc.awareness.action@gmail.com.
For a comprehensive list of events pertaining to sustainability and climate change, contact Diane Brandli with GreeningUSA to subscribe to the GreeningUSA listserve or to publicize an event you are organizing. dbdesigninteriors@verizon.net
On September 8th, Icelandic startup companies, Climeworks and Carbfix, launched Orca, the world’s largest climate-positive direct air capture and storage plant. It can pull up to 4000 tons of CO2 out of the air and dissolve it in water, which is then pumped deep underground to slowly crystalize. All the energy comes from a geothermal plant on the same site.
Meat Atlas: Facts and Figures about the Animals we Eat
Friends of the Earth have just released their latest Meat Atlas, which looks at the climate impacts of industrial meat production. Global meat production is increasing. The five biggest meat and milk producers combined emit the same volume of greenhouse gases as Exxon. But despite the growing popularity of vegetarianism and veganism, no country has a plan to reduce meat consumption or transform meat production yet.
Louisiana Shell refinery left spewing chemicals after Hurricane Ida
After hurricane Ida caused a power outage at Shell petrochemical plant in Norco, Louisiana, harmful chemicals escaped into the air because they could not be effectively burned off, or flared. Unfortunately, many air quality tracking systems were also out of power, so effects of the pollution on local communities was not well known.
CCAA Member Spotlight
~ Pete Wirth on a summit near Tupper Lake
By Pete Wirth
I was born in 1949 and grew up in New York City on the border of Queens and Brooklyn; row after row of two-family brick houses with concrete everywhere. It was a white (not by accident), heavily German neighborhood. Even in the 1960’s when mom sent me to the butcher’s store around the corner almost all the women spoke German when they put in their orders.
I was lucky that my grandmother had a small mom-and-pop family farm and boarding house in the CatskillMountains. There were a few cows, three chicken coops, some ducks, goats and pigs, though by the time I was old enough to have a memory all the farm animals were gone as my step-grandfather had a stroke and they could no longer farm. My grandmother’s first husband died in an industrial accident at a meat packing plant when my mother was five. Grandma and my step-grandpa were from tough stock. The farmhouse didn’t have central heat so the bathrooms were shut in the winter with pipes drained. They still used an outhouse in the 1950’s.
I spent my summers in the Catskills until I started to work summer jobs in New York. Looking back I realize it was why I developed a love of gardening: the outdoors and an acceptance of minimal creature comforts. I think my grandmother rubbed off on me in more ways that I will ever know. Her life wasn’t easy but at age 91 she made sure her potatoes got harvested the last summer she spent at the farm before dying that winter in New York. She had a good, simple life.
I was always a political activist and am proud to say I saw the inside of a Washington DC lockup on more than one occasion while protesting the Vietnam War. I remember the first EarthDay and still have my copy of “Small is Beautiful” by E. F. Schumacher.
I have also always been an environmentalist and have tried to “tread lightly” on planet earth. Today I have solar panels on my home in Fayetteville and keep working to reduce my household’s use of fossil fuels. Our panels produce 100% of our electrical needs. We are using the surplus power with an electric heat pump to reduce our use of natural gas. Next on my list is an electric car.
More than a dozen years ago I got involved with sustainability issues through GreeningUSA. After a while I decided I wanted to focus solely on climate change and helped start Climate Change Awareness & Action.
I try and stay optimistic but it is difficult. We are getting dangerously close to 1.5° Celsius of warming, which is a dangerous threshold. Most of us are a long way from significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions as we live in a world built around fossil fuels. Even today, new homes are built with gas furnaces.
What keeps me going is the community of people I’ve met through CCAA who are committed to a better world, no matter how difficult the journey may be.
I hope our paths will cross. We all have a role to play.
So Many Ways to Get Involved
By Peter Michel
There are so many ways for those who are interested in climate action to get involved. Here are three examples that you might not yet know about.
The Fossil-Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a global initiative to phase out fossil fuels and fast-track climate solutions, inspired by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It is based on three pillars:
NON-PROLIFERATION: Preventing the proliferation of coal, oil and gas by ending exploration and production.
GLOBAL DISARMAMENT: Phasing-out existing stockpiles and production in line with the Paris 1.5°C goal.
PEACEFUL TRANSITION: Fast-tracking solutions and a just transition for every worker, community and country.
Described as a 2030 Moonshot for Earth, its goals are for 100% by 2030 of:
Renewable Energy
Electric Vehicles
Regenerative Agriculture
Enforcement is tied to ordinary business deductions for utility companies, large agriculture organizations and car companies. You can join the Earth Bill Network athttps://www.earthbill.org/network.php.
One of the most impactful things an individual can do to reverse global warming is to eat less meat! The Ann Arbor North Rotary Club has come up with an easy way to experiment with changing your diet: The Global 15-Day Plant-Rich Diet Challenge, which starts on October 1st.
On a related subject, I recommend a great film about diet and its impact on our health and planet: “Forks Over Knives”
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Staff Writer: Jacob Stewart
Publishing and Design: Yvonne Chu, Annalena Davis
Editor: Gavin Landless
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