Gina Hannah of the Huntsville Times recently wrote an article recapping  Green Cities Alabama.

The event, held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, brought together over 100 forward thinking and solution minded architects, government officials, citizens and entrepreneurs.  Discussions ranged from how Huntsville continues increasing energy efficiency and lessening waste, the benefits of greening the business sector and planning for September’s Huntsville’s Green U festival.

To read a digital version of this article visit the Huntsville Times blog by clicking here.

Major event sponsors – Environmental Systems, Inc. and The Huntsville Committee of 100 – will also be in attendance.

Jerome Ringo has placed himself at the forefront of environmental and social change.  With over 20 years of working at a petrochemical plant and seeing first-hand the adverse effects it had on our environment and population, he chose another way.  As a result of Jerome’s emerging awareness to the effects of the petrochemical industries detrimental attributes, he began to organize community/environmental justice groups and in doing so was able to aid the environment and local communities simultaneously.  Jerome’s ability to organize business, labor, and environmental leaders has greatly enhanced the environmental and social justice movement.

Jerome will be speaking at Green Cities Florida on “The Color of Green: The Next Inconvenient Truth” on the 2nd or 3rd day of the program. In the meantime, you can learn more about Jerome’s work below with some helpful links.

JeromeRingo.com

Wikipedia: Jerome Ringo

PowerShift 2009

Apollo Alliance

In an effort to boost renewable energy efforts, Alabama is investing over a million dollars in alternative energy sources throughout the state.  From converting cooking oil to bio-diesel in Henry County to creating electric energy from yard waste in Fultondale; the state is getting serious about finding new cheaper forms of energy.  One of the most notable opportunities is taking place in Tuscaloosa, where the city has teamed with the University of Alabama to use the methane collected from the waste water treatment plant as a replacement for natural gas.

The plant currently produces a small amout of methane, but Dr. Stephen Ritches has a plan to produce much more.  The extra methane would be used as an energy source for the plant – which would  lessen the city’s need for natural gas.

The grant for this research is worth $198,000 dollars.  The state estimates, if the project succeeds, the extra methane will save the city of Tuscaloosa $78,000 a year in energy bills.  Even the dark clouds of recession are subject to silver linings.  We are becoming more diligent and creative to become more sustainable, efficient and inexpensive.  Hopefully the wast water plant idea works well enough to spread throughout the state.

To learn more about this project click here.

As declared by Popular Science magazine in 2008, Huntsville, Alabama ranked 18 in America’s 50 Greenest Cities.  The magazine considered parks, greenways, utility programs, transportation, recycling, and other efforts in ranking cities.

Green Alabama shares the state’s first “Green Gauge” report, released December 2008, from the nonprofit Green Resource Center for Alabama.  This report highlights many of the efforts that earned Huntsville a national ranking as a Green City.  The Mayor’s Office also sent a press release celebrating the region’s commitment to keeping Huntsville progressive and green.

The Popular Science article is not the first recognition Huntsville received for environmental efforts.  In 2006 The Green Guide acknowledged Huntsville in the U.S. Top 10 greenest cities.

Huntsville developments in 2008 include a tougher state standard regarding carcinogenic pollutants, habitat land preservation, and green buildings.

http://www.waff.com/global/story.asp?s=7854121

Rep. Frank McDaniel Hard at Work.

You wouldn’t confuse Alabama as the greenest state in the nation, but they are working on improving their status.  Rep. Frank McDaniel (D-Albertville) recently sponsored a package of several energy efficiency bills, including one that would add incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs, certain natural gas appliances and other energy-saving materials to the state’s sales tax holiday.

Similar bills have had difficulty being passed in prior years.  Not in resistance of sustainability, but in favor of government efficiency.  In order to produce a more thought out, government friendly package, McDaniel acquired the assistance from a diverse array of supporters and advisers.  “That package is one that we’ve been working on 15 to 18 months and have had not only legislative folks and state agency involvement, but an awful lot of business/industrial attendance in those public hearings and working with subcommittees…It’s held a lot of interest from a lot of sources.”” said Rep. McDaniels.  This sort of collaboration is necessary when attempting to get the bigger legislative balls rolling.

Other measures in the bill call for creating a commitee to investigate turning Alabama’s vehicles into a “green fleet” and expanding the role of ethyl alcohol to used as an alternative fuel.  Current state laws prohibit ethyl alcohol from being transported in bulk.  Therefore, not are laws being proposed, but a few will have to be repealed.  Finding a balance in the transition to a greener state may prove to be the biggest hurdle to conquer.

In order to achieve the drastic changes in energy and land use many wish to see, the people and government are going to have to work together to reach a common end.  Rep. McDaniels is proof that politicians are still listening.

Normally the company of Stewart Perry works with developing car dealer ships and retail centers.  However, when it came to designing and constructing their headquarters the company decided to re-brand itself with a focus on sustainable development.  Like many green buildings recently developed, this structure will serve as an example for all buildings in the future.

“To show others how simple acts and efforts can make long term impact to the environment and water quality for the region,” said the company’s owner Stewart said.

Stewart Perry’s new headquarters sits in a forested acreage supported by a three-acre pond (geese and heron included).  The parking lot was topped with crushed limestone which acts as a filter for rainwater on its way to a manmade creek, which feeds into the pond.  Salvaged red bald cypress from a project in Florida was used for the ceiling, doors and windows.  The building itself was designed by Birmingham’s own HKW and the application for LEED certification is currently under review.

One of the driving factors to go with a sustainable HQ, were the demands being made by the company’s clients.  One of Stewart Perry’s most recent projects was the constructing of a Piggly Wiggly and Tria Market on the banks of the Cahaba which includes a bioswale system that takes the storm water from the parking lot, allowing sediments and pollutants to settle out before reaching the river.

Stewart Perry seeks to find identity in practicing what they preach.  Their headquarters will not only house their employees but also serve as their calling card for future efforts.  Now with their house in order, let’s see what their next project yields.

Mac Walcott of Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects shares how the LEED-certified building will conserve energy through waste reduction, water efficiency, energy use, and other factors.  The aspects of sustainable building work toward the triple bottom line of sustainability:  social responsibility, economically-sound practices, and environmentally-sound function.

Watch the video, and find the article here for more information and related stories.

Have you heard? The price of cardboard has dropped by almost $100 per ton. It is just one more teensy economic shift that is costing billions of dollars to simply disappear from the promise of a green economy. Many municipalities that (commendably) implemented curbside recycling are now caught in a difficult situation. Back when the prices for plastic, cardboard, etc. were high, cash-strapped governments were celebrated as they tackled budget issues and sustainable practices at the same time. Now, as cities across the nation survey their options, some are at a loss for what to do with the stuff that their citizens are now so conscientiously collecting and putting out for curbside pickup.

As city governments across the country spent hundreds of millions of dollars just evaluating the subject of citizen recycling, few ever asked the question: “Is the market for recyclables stable?” Analysts in the United Kingdom recently reported that as much as 15% of all recyclable material is simply in storage, waiting for a buyer and that it could take over a year to clear the backlog.

Some municipalities at home are looking at new ways of getting rid of old trash, using solid waste as fuel to generate “renewable” energy. In Alabama, the Huntsville Solid Waste to Energy Facility (located in the norther part of the state) processes as much as 675 tons of solid waste and sewage daily. From that, it produces nearly 180,000 lbs of steam per hour. That steam then navigates a 6 mile line, destined to exclusively heat and cool for the Redstone Arsenal.

[Read more on this at the Marshal Tribune]

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