Solutions Vol. 40, No. 2 Spring 2009 The race to reinvent energy Greening PRESSING THE START BUTTON ON AMERICAN INNOVATION the China supply chain 4

Little people spark big changes 10

On the move in a warmer world 14 edwardhoward.com

President Obama’s policies present a dramatic opportunity to create jobs and solve global warming. Now Environmental Defense Fund must get Congress to act. Saved! An undersea ess than a year ago, candidate Barack Obama promised an wilderness 16 Labout-face in the nation’s environmental policies. The eco- nomic stimulus bill passed in February, with its intention to slash America’s dependence on fossil fuels, represents the gov- ernment’s biggest commitment to environmental protection in years. But major hurdles still lie ahead. “This is a stunning departure from the and manufacturing to help show Congress past eight years,” says Environmental De- that a cap on global warming pollution fense Fund president Fred Krupp. “Between will create vibrant industries and jobs. the stimulus bill and the climate legislation taking shape in Congress, we’re opening a ADVISING THE new chapter in the fight against global ADMINISTRATION warming.” EDF helped shape the final stim- Shortly after the November election, Krupp ulus package, which includes the following: put our study Manufacturing Climate Solu- tions into the hands of Obama energy advi- • $20 billion investment in energy effi- sor Carol Browner. Her enthusiastic re- The future rainforest ciency for buildings sponse paid a big dividend. Vice President­ 7 • $17.7 billion for mass transit Joe Biden named Environmental Defense Rainforests contain half the • Funds for renewable energy research Fund as expert panelist for the opening • Rebates for the purchase of greener meeting of his Task Force on Middle Class Earth’s species and are vital appliances Families, charged with making green jobs a to many life systems. Today, pathway to a strong middle class. they also hold the key to a Now we and our allies must win support The new opportunities are crucial for global climate treaty. from Congress for strong climate action. workers like Samuel Pagan. A former We’ve enlisted strategic partners in labor Continued on p.6 WHERE WE STAND By Fred Krupp, President A new deal for the environment Dealing with economic turmoil and global warming together makes perfect sense: Behind every clean energy tech- nology—from wind turbines and solar ––––– cells to carbon capture and advanced More Americans now work lighting—a parts-and-labor supply chain in the wind industry runs through the heartland of U.S. man- ufacturing. than in coal mining. For example, Indiana-based ––––– SunRise Solar, a maker of solar-pow- ered attic fans, gets plastic and stain- less steel brackets from local plants, motors from Pennsylvania, wire from

T. Charles Erickson Illinois and thermostats from California. The fast-growing company ranklin Roosevelt launched the et, it also could save the economy. How? has helped keep many other U.S. com- FNew Deal in 1933 to help lift By creating jobs for people like Mike panies afloat in these rough times. America out of the Great Depression. Gonzer, a plant manager in Michigan Strong cap-and-trade climate legis- Most historians agree, however, that it recently laid off from the auto industry but lation will rapidly create new markets was World War II that really turned now working assembling wind turbines. and millions of new jobs in virtually things around. In a recent meeting at the White every sector of the economy. Rep. Henry Today, we are fighting another glob- House, Lawrence Summers, Obama’s Waxman (D-CA), chairman of the House al war—against climate change. chief economic advisor, told me that Energy and Commerce Committee, has President Obama has launched that war the key to economic recovery is to vowed to have a climate bill on the floor in earnest by calling on Congress to remake the energy sector. He likened by Memorial Day. Momentum is also enact a cap on carbon emissions. He has government’s role to that of a pair of building in the Senate. Congress should appointed a strong environmental team, scissors. One blade would be green do all it can to pass a strong bill, and including long-time EDF board member spending in the Recovery and Reinvest­ quickly, in order to have maximum Dr. Jane Lubchenco as head of NOAA, ment Act; the second blade would be a leverage for December’s UN climate the primary climate science agency. cap-and-trade program for carbon talks in Copenhagen. Retooling America’s energy infra- dioxide. Together, they can help us cut As the legislation moves forward, structure will not only help save the plan- our way out of the recession. we will stand guard on Capitol Hill to make sure that no last-minute loop- holes are inserted in the dead of night. Creating a clean future The future of the planet is at stake. Technology is on the brink of producing breakthroughs in the fight against global warming. Entrepreneurs are harvesting energy not just from the sun and wind but from ocean waves, grasses and even algae. Solutions That’s the message of the New York Editor: Peter Klebnikov Times bestseller Earth: The Sequel by EDF Environmental Defense Fund, 257 Park Ave. South, president Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn, now New York, NY 10010. Main number 212-505-2100. in paperback from W. W. Norton. The new Membership questions: Call 800-684-3322 or edition updates progress by featured companies and includes vivid email [email protected] illustrations of how cutting-edge technologies like cellulosic ethanol Mailbag: Mail to address above, call 800-927-6464 and wave energy actually work. or email [email protected] ©2009 Environmental Defense Fund. Published “Krupp does what might seem impossible—he delivers a global quarterly in New York, NY. ASSN 0163-2566 warming book that leaves you feeling hopeful.” –Time New York • Austin • Bentonville, AR • Boston Boulder • Los Angeles • Raleigh • Sacramento “If you are worried that the world is heading toward climate catas­ San Francisco • Washington • Beijing, China trophe, here’s a book to lift your spirits.” –Harvard Business Review Online at edf.org

2 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions Talk back Obama advisor Please correct yourself! significant amount of new wind power to be joins EDF Please look at the pic- developed. Passing a national cap on global ture on the cover of warming pollution will spur even more re- your Sushi Selector. newable energy development, as well as the Sushi is rice mixed transmission infrastructure it requires. with vinegar and However, as you point out, wind sugar. It may have farms can create local environmental prob- tuna rolled inside it, or lems, from leaking oil to serious habitat a number of other fish damage. On the positive side, wind farms products placed on it, create much less local environmental dam- but sushi is not fish. age than coal, natural gas or nuclear power Mark Gibson/Corbis Please correct yourself! plants. And much of the material is recy- Holstein negotiated help for the Klamath. Bets Lawrence, Hawaii clable. In fact, a small cottage industry is already developing around remanufactur- Elgie Holstein remembers the first Our scientist Tim Fitzgerald responds: ing old wind turbines. time he sat down with PacifiCorp to Mr. Lawrence is correct—technically sushi To address these issues, EDF helped negotiate removing the utility’s dams is just vinegared rice, not fish. However,­­ found the American Wind Wildlife Insti- from the Klamath River in California we decided to go with an image and title tute, a consortium of wind developers and and Oregon—the focus of years of recognizable to most U.S. sushi lovers. See environmental organizations. The institute contentious debate among farmers, edf.org/seafood. is working to establish rules and incentives environmentalists and Indian tribes. for wind developers to site, build, operate “PacifiCorp had What about wind pollution? and decommission turbines in an environ- really been beaten up I worked on a maintenance crew servicing mentally conscious manner. in the press,” recalls 259 wind turbines in northwest Iowa. Holstein. “They were While I believe Help us improve Solutions! wary.” Instead of ulti- power produced matums, Holstein of- from wind tur- fered them science. “I bines is a good al- suggested we cooper- Water diplomat Elgie Holstein ternative source, ate on a plan for ex- there are some amining water quality related to the problems: mov- dams,” he says. “They jumped on it.”

Shutterstock ing the energy Negotiators reached a tentative produced is not efficient because of inade- agreement last fall to remove the dams quate transmission systems; there can be in what may be the largest river restora- pollutants from operation of the turbines; tion project in U.S. history. Holstein in- and there needs to be recycling or cleanup sists his role was small—he left the pro- after the useful life of the wind turbines. Would you like to influence what EDF cess last year to advise the Obama cam- Roger Skelton, Rembrandt, Iowa writes about in Solutions? Email editor@ paign on energy—but injecting facts edf.org to join our Reader Panel. Please into an emotional debate helped build Our renewable energy specialist Colin include your name and mailing address in trust among the negotiators. Meehan comments: your email, and feel free to mention any Holstein will bring his skills in ne- We currently have enough transmission ca- suggestions when you write. gotiating difficult water issues to EDF pacity in most of the windy states to allow a We want to hear from you! as the head of our Center for Rivers and Deltas. “Unraveling longstanding con- What they’re saying about Environmental Defense Fund flicts and healing the environment in places like the Colorado River Delta will “Without the persistence, devotion and long-term support of EDF, take creative thinking and an even- Hawaii would not have this landmark conservation program.” handed approach,” says Holstein. “I came to Environmental Defense Fund Paul J. Conry, Hawaii’s administrator of Forestry and Wildlife, on EDF program preventing pollution from reaching Hawaii’s coral reefs. because it is recognized for both.”

Find latest updates at edf.org 3 PURCHASING POWER With EDF’s help, Wal-Mart takes green business global all it a smart business decision. To satisfy the growing Cdemand for green building materials, a California-based startup called CleanBoard now manufactures drywall in a solar- powered factory, using residue from coal-fired power plants as raw material. Even its paper coating is recycled. “To achieve our goals, we examined every aspect of our supply chain from the sourcing of raw materials to the transportation of fin- ished goods,” explains the company’s founder, Rod MacGregor. Imagine if a single retailer could demand such environ- mental performance from thousands of factories? Environmen- tal Defense Fund set out to help achieve this goal. The products we buy today are only as green as the energy and materials that go into them—the supply chain. Not long

ago, it was common for manufacturers to oversee a product’s Ullstein-ecopix/Peter Arnold entire life cycle. Today, that model has been replaced by a vast Wal-Mart wants to green its Chinese supply chain. global supply chain moving products from distant factories to your neighborhood mall. A GREENER VISION FOR CHINA The environmental costs of this supply chain are im- As China’s biggest export client, Wal-Mart has taken a special in- mense. For example, U.S. demand for products from China— terest in greening China’s supply chain and has the clout to make $321 billion in 2007—has contributed to China’s monumental things happen. When the retailer recently invited 1,000 of its Chi- environmental challenges: fouled air, despoiled rivers and a nese suppliers to an environmental summit in Beijing, suppliers growing share of the world’s global warming emissions. were eager to attend. The company announced ambitious goals:

GREENING THE SUPPLY CHAIN ETHICAL SOURCING MANUFACTURING Trees are tagged for trac- Parts are milled to spec- In building a child’s crib, a manufac­ ing. Logging practices ifications that are safe CRIB CRIB turer must focus on every step of the CRIB protect commu­nities, air, for workers, consumers process—from the trees used, to water and wildlife habitat. and the environment. transport, to ease of recycling.

POINT OF SALE TRANSPORT PACKAGING STORE Information for consum- STORE Trucks use cleanestSTORE Crib assembled and er includes place of ori- technology, reduce packaged in boxes made CRIB CRIB CRIB

gin and chemicals usedCRIB idling and travel the CRIB from post-consumer in manufac­ t­ure.­ most direct route. recycled materials.

CUSTOMER USE REUSE END OF LIFE STORE STORE STORE STORE Crib is easily assembled. STORE Crib is not a disposable No longer useful as a Packaging is curbside product, rather is passed crib, recyclable parts are recyclable. on to family and friends. recycled. Icons by Funnel, Inc.; background photo Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures

4 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions • Wal-Mart’s top 200 suppliers in China are to improve energy efficiency 20% by 2012. The company’s factory audits also will look at air emissions, wastewater discharges and the han- dling of toxic substances. • By 2012, all direct suppliers must source 95% of their produc- tion from factories with Wal-Mart’s highest ratings for envi- ronmental and social practices. “We’re showing suppliers that through this lens of sustain- ability, there are actually cost-saving opportunities,” says Matt Kistler, Wal-Mart’s senior vice president for sustainability. As the only nonprofit with offices in Beijing and Wal- Mart’s home town of Benton- 60,000 ville, AR, we work closely with Zinn Photography/Sun Edison Wal-Mart suppliers the company on supply chain Energy-conscious companies have much to learn from installations like this Sun Edison solar farm. worldwide issues. We take no money from Wal-Mart, but the part- nership is strategic for both parties. “The biggest opportunity for creating environmental change Finally, a place to share is the estimated 90% of Wal-Mart’s environmental footprint at- green innovations tributed to its 60,000 worldwide suppliers,” says Elizabeth Sturcken, our managing director for corporate partnerships. When Environmental Defense Fund and FedEx devel- Compliance remains a thorny issue. With EDF support, oped a cleaner, more fuel-efficient delivery truck, we Wal-Mart has changed its standard contract to require supplier went directly to other delivery companies to share the certification of compliance with all Chinese environmental laws. innovation. Now many fleets are trying out the new die- sel-electric hybrid technology. Our new Innovation­ FROM SEAFOOD TO FOREST PRODUCTS Exchange website will Wal-Mart is examining its full range of products. For instance, See how the FedEx make it easier for com- hybrid electric truck it wants all the seafood it sells in the United States to be certi- panies to share such works in a short fied as sustainable by 2011. promising ideas faster. video at edf.org/FedExStory When EDF determined “Major companies have there was no credible certi- come to us saying they fication for farmed seafood, want to make their operations sustainable but don’t know how we collaborated with allies to go about it,” says David Witzel, director of the exchange. “A to strengthen the industry knowledge-sharing network was needed.” For a wide variety of industries, the Innovation association charged with Exchange offers case studies, networking opportunities aquaculture certification. and a frequently updated blog. Soon, expanded interactive Wal-Mart is reforming features will allow businesses to share their experiences its wood purchases and look- online and sign up ing to groups like EDF and for training pro- World Wildlife Fund for Information guru David grams. The infor- Witzel is overseeing our guidance. With its supply new Innovation Exchange. mation is free. chain in the Far East edf.org/innovation “In today’s tough environ-

plagued by illegal logging AP Photos ment, no compa- and phony labeling, Wal- We helped Wal-Mart set strict ny can afford to miss out on proven strategies to cut costs Mart is switching to more standards for farmed seafood. and build reputation,” says Gwen Ruta, our vice president transparent lumber sources of corporate partnerships. “The Innovation Exchange pro- around the world. “We need a clear chain of custody from start to vides the information and inspiration for companies to finish,” explains our project manager Michelle Harvey. achieve market leadership and meet key environmental We want our work with Wal-Mart to be emulated by other demands worldwide.” large retailers. Environmental improvements to the intricate trail that Among the first visitors to the new exchange: links the world’s markets won’t happen overnight, but the process is employees of Microsoft, Nortel, Wells Fargo and other well underway. EDF project manager Andrew Hutson says, “As leading corporations. smart companies find real cost savings, the concept is gaining steam.” Find latest updates at edf.org 5 Countering climate falsehoods Continued from p.1 LESS CARBON = MORE JOBS When Jackie Roberts, EDF director of Our re- sustainable technologies, began to re- search found that search how the U.S. job market will 42% of the new- benefit from global warming legislation, energy companies she didn’t expect to deliver her work di- surveyed had rectly to the vice president of the United growth in sales States. But that’s exactly what hap- over the past one pened on February 27, when Roberts to two years. Eileen Colton and EDF president Fred Krupp met Half were plan- Jackie Roberts: The with Vice President Joe Biden and sev- ning to hire more

Paul Glendell/Peter Arnold White House called. eral cabinet officers, including Energy staff. Many were Job generator: Each wind turbine contains Secretary Steven Chu and Labor Secre- small companies, a key engine of U.S. about 8,000 parts. tary Hilda Solis. economic growth. Pennsylvania steelworker, Pagan was look- Roberts’ new website, lesscarbon- Abe Breehey, an official with the ing for more job stability. With a little morejobs.org, profiles 1,200 companies in International Brotherhood of Boilermak- training, he easily stepped into a new career the renewable energy and energy effi- assembling the structural backbones of ciency fields from Florida to Colorado ––––– wind turbines. “It’s a new industry,” he primed to create new jobs when Con- A wind company hires says. “There’s opportunity here.” gress enacts a cap on global warming former autoworkers in “Our nation is rich with a skilled pollution. Released at the launch of Michigan. workforce that is waiting for the economic Biden’s task force, the maps show hun- opportunity that cap-and-trade legislation dreds of communities in coal country, ––––– will bring,” says Krupp. the rust belt and other manufacturing ers, an EDF ally, said, “The demand for How climate action will affect jobs is regions poised to benefit. climate solutions will create job opportu- the subject of a pitched battle that may de- nities across the economy. We can put termine the fate of climate legislation. Op- A POTENT MESSAGE TO American ingenuity to work to reduce ponents in the oil industry and the U.S. CONVINCE CONGRESS emissions, with all the necessary labor and Chamber­ of Commerce are again spending Our goal is to show members of Congress materials to make it happen.” millions to mislead Americans with the how a cap on carbon will create economic Among the business leaders high- falsehood that climate policy is too expen­ opportunities for their constituents. lighted is Jeff Metts, president of sive in a recession. Similar arguments about Dowding Industries, a gas prices stymied a climate bill in 2008. Michigan manufacturer This time, however, we are in a posi- hiring laid-off auto- tion to win. “In the fight for climate change workers to build wind legislation, we have advantages we’ve never turbine components. had before,” said Krupp. “We have solid “This business is majorities supporting legislation in both growing exponentially,” houses of Congress. We have sympathetic Metts said. “We’ve committee chairs to guide the action. And tapped into a workforce we now have a president who understands eager to apply their skills the nature of the emergency. The stars are from previous jobs, and aligning at just the right time.” the result has been in- credible. We’re ready to WHAT YOU CAN DO: Send a message to your do much more.” senators and representative urging them to help unleash our green energy future; visit- Our new green company website, (lesscarbonmorejobs.org): edf.org/capcarbonnow 1,200 bright spots in a dark economy.

6 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions

Colors: C M Y K 2718 Valuing forests enough to save them Frans Lanting

ne day in December 2002, Herculano Porto thought the Indigenous Reserve near the Venezuelan world was coming to an end. Machete in hand, he was border, EDF funded our partner, the In- O stituto Socioambiental, to bring in an clearing brush from the forest floor beneath 150-foot-tall Brazil indigenous lawyer from Raposa to argue nut trees in Pará state in the Brazilian Amazon when he saw before Brazil’s Supreme Court, the first four men with guns and chainsaws coming through the forest. indigenous attorney to do so. In a signif- icant victory, the court ruled to support Herculano, who makes a precari- “extractive reserve.” Inside the reserve, the reserve. ous living collecting nuts and fishing, clear-cutting is prohibited but forest gathered his things and paddled back dwellers can continue their fishing and A GLOBAL SOLUTION across the Anfrizio River to his home. nut gathering. In exchange for land Still, the clearing and burning of rain- Gradually, all around him, the forest rights, education and health care, Hercu- forests continues—in Brazil, Indonesia began to fall. lano and other ribeirinhos, or river folk, and elsewhere. Worldwide, driven by For the last two decades, similar scenes agreed to manage the forest sustainably. the profits to be made from tropical have been playing out across the Amazon. “Extractive reserves and indigenous hardwoods, soybeans and beef, between Each year, ranchers, farmers and loggers lands, where people on the ground have a 20 and 40 million acres of rainforest are have cleared and burned some four million direct stake in the forest’s survival, offer lost annually. the best protection for rainforests,” says Tropical deforestation not only our anthropologist Dr. Stephan destroys ecosystems, it produces nearly Schwartzman, who has spent three de- 20% of the planet’s global warming 137 unique species cades working in the Amazon. Using sat- become extinct every day due ellite data, Schwartzman has documented to tropical deforestation that reserves stop deforestation. CARBON HEAVYWEIGHTS Extractive reserves, indigenous Global CO2 emissions in 2008 (in billions of tons) acres of rainforest—an area nearly the size of lands and parks now cover nearly 40% of CHINA 6.89 New Jersey—releasing massive quantities of the Amazon. But that leaves huge swaths UNITED STATES 6.73 greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Busi- of forest unprotected. And in practice it ness as usual, some models predict, could de- has been difficult to protect sparsely pop- DEFORESTATION 5.43 stroy half the Amazon forest by 2050. ulated areas because of pressure from On that December day, Herculano ranchers, illegal clearing and a lack of EUROPEAN UNION 5.07

didn’t challenge the intruders. But over economic incentives. INDIA 2.24 the next two years he defied death threats When a group of rice farmers re- and teamed up with Environmental De- cently challenged the existence of the Deforestation produces more global fense Fund partners to help establish an four million acre Raposa Serra do Sol warming pollution than the entire EU. Find latest updates at edf.org 7

Colors: C M Y K 2718 In 2005, we gestion, Brazil has pledged to cut defor- joined with Brazil- estation 70% over the next decade. “This ian allies to propose is enormously important,” says a solution: provide Schwartzman. “It is the first time a incentives that major developing country has stepped make rainforests up and made a commitment to bring worth more alive down its total emissions.” than dead. Our When there are profits to be made proposal would by keeping tropical forests standing, the offer compensation same entrepreneurial energy that has from industrialized brought them down at such an alarming nations in the form of tradable carbon ––––– credits to develop- ing nations that re- As long as forests are worth duce deforestation. more as cattle ranches or It would also allow palm oil plantations, forests them to modernize will continue to disappear. their economies. Peter Arnold The concept, ––––– Will we continue to do this to the “lungs” of the planet? known as Reducing Emissions from De- rate will become an equally powerful emissions. “Any plan to address global forestation and Degradation, or REDD, force for their protection. warming must include tropical forests, gained traction at recent UN climate talks in “As long as forest lands are worth or it will fail,” says EDF Climate direc- Poland, ensuring that it will be on the agen- more as cattle ranches or palm oil planta- tor Peter Goldmark. “The world has da in Copenhagen this December, when the tions, forests will disappear,” says Schwartz- just one chance and little time to get next climate treaty will be negotiated. man. “An international carbon market can this right.” Meanwhile, at our partners’ sug- give them the value they need to survive.” Remembering CHICO MENDES wenty years ago, the legendary union activist Chico Because Mendes had won international environmental TMendes was gunned down by an enraged cattle rancher prizes, his murder, unlike the 1,500 or so previous murders for irked that he’d been denied the right to cut down a tract of hire in land conflicts in Brazil, became world news. Brazilian rainforest. Illiterate until age 18, Mendes had eked out a living as a rubber tapper, collecting latex from the Amazon’s rubber trees. Yet he rose to become Brazil’s environmental conscience. He not only organized his fellow tappers into a rural workers’ union but also formed them into human barriers whenever cattle ranchers threatened the rainforest that was their livelihood. In December, on the 20th anniversary of his assassination, EDF anthropologist Dr. Stephan Schwartzman traveled to Bra- zil to receive the Chico Mendes Prize. The Acre state govern- ment recognized 20 people who were important in Mendes’ life. “I was deeply honored to be among them,” says Schwartzman. In 1987, Schwartzman had brought Mendes to Washing- ton, DC, to press development banks to curtail loans for Brazil’s road-building projects until local people’s rights were considered. Our alliance forced the Brazilian government to change its policies. As part of the Mendes legacy, the extractive re- serves he helped create have become a bulwark against defor- J.B. Forbes estation in the Amazon—and a source of hope in solving the Mendes’ voice may have been silenced, but his legacy lives on. world’s climate crisis. 8 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions Detach and save this illlustration. Illustration by Alan Baker Alan by Illustration Why we need to save rainforests Here are five reasons:

CULTURAL DIVERSITY More than 350 indigenous and ethnic groups have depended on the Amazon BIODIVERSITY rainforest for their liveli- Half of the Earth’s species hoods for centuries. live in rainforests; there are more fish species in Amazonian waterways than in the entire Atlantic Ocean. CLIMATE Rainforests act as the world’s thermostat by regulating temperatures and weather CARBON STORAGE patterns worldwide. Standing tropical forests are huge carbon vaults, locking up 28% of the total amount of carbon in global vegetation.

MEDICINAL BENEFITS 70% of plants identified as having anti-cancer proper- ties are found in the rainfor- est, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Environmental Defense Fund Green living Kids who dream in green THE NEXT WAVE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS IS THE YOUNGEST YET he popular view that kids Traised on TV and the Internet are fated to become passive consumers is contra- dicted by a new wave of informed environmental activ- ism that reaches all the way down to elementary school. Jordan Reichgut and Alex Scaperot- ta were only in third grade when a school screening of Al Gore’s documentary about climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, inspired them to become environ- mental campaigners. The pair, now fifth graders at Cider Mill School in Wilton, CT, launched “Little People, Big Chang- es,” which now has a website and a solid Tim Connor record of accomplishment. The return of flower power: Children are taking pollution into their own hands. Alex and Jordan regularly team up to talk to student groups and set up informa- TAKING ACTION LOCALLY City alone produce 760 tons of smog- tional card tables at supermarkets, libraries Heeding the slogan,“Think globally. Act forming nitrogen oxides every year. That’s and Earth Day celebrations. Largely locally,” the boys created an anti-idling the equivalent of 3,000 trucks, each driv- through their efforts, nearly 200 families campaign to convince motorists to fight ing a million miles. Pollutants from need- in the town of Wilton signed up to pay climate change (and local air pollution) by lessly running engines are associated with extra on their utility bills to ensure that re- not leaving their cars and trucks running. a variety of health risks including cancer, newable energy goes into the regional grid. According to a new Environmental asthma and heart disease—and children The signups have earned Wilton a pair of Defense Fund report, Idling Gets You No- are especially vulnerable. solar panels to be installed at town schools. where, idling cars and trucks in New York “If you’re stopped for more than ten

Calling all youth! Little People, Big EPA’s National Idle- Find environmental Van Jones’ Green for All Changes promotes its Reduction Campaign activism websites for promotes green jobs for anti-idling campaign and (part of Clean School young people at Green young people and oth- green energy choices. Bus USA) offers a calcu- kids online. greenliving. ers interested in work- littlepeoplebigchan­­­ lator to determine how suite101/article.cfm/ ing on environmental ges.com much fuel is saved by green_kids_online and social justice not idling. epa.gov/OMS/ issues. greenforall.org EDF’s Idling Gets You schoolbus/antiidling.htm Environmental Enforcers­

RESOURCE CENTER Nowhere report summa- is part of the United rizes the case against Puerto Rican Organi­ unnecessary idling. edf. zation of Sunset Park. org/stopidling uprose.org 718-492-9307

Guest columnist Jim Motavalli writes for E/The Environmental Magazine (for subscription information: 800-967-6572 or emagazine.com). Opinions are the author’s and not those of Environ­men­tal Defense Fund staff. 10 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions seconds, you save fuel by turning off the CLEANING UP THE engine,” Alex said. “So we created a slo- NEIGHBORHOOD gan, ‘If you’re stopped for more than ten, The new wave of children’s environmental turn it off and on again.’” Jordan and Alex activism cuts across income levels. In 1998 created bumper stickers and t-shirts that three 14-year-olds in Brooklyn’s Sunset spread their message all over town. For Park neighborhood founded the Environ- their efforts they were awarded a Climate mental Enforcers as part of UPROSE, a Change Leadership Award from Con- Latino community organization. The necticut Governor Jodi Rell. group’s work includes air monitoring of die- sel trucks on the Gowanus Expressway, ADVOCATING GREENER which bisects their neighborhood. SCHOOL BUSES Joaquin Brito, a 17-year-old volun- Some 1,500 miles away in Austin, TX, an- teer, started out by collecting air samples. other group of fifth graders also zeroed in on In 2007 he testified before a state com- unnecessary vehicle idling. Their campaign mission on improving city air quality. at Casis Elementary pushed the school to Brito plans to study environmental engi-

educate parents about the dangers of idling. Alex von Kleydorff neering in college this fall. “Facing our “It might not have an impact on the world, Alex Scaperotta had a bright idea for environmental problems is something we but it might have an impact on our neigh- cutting pollution. have to do for our future,” he says. borhood,” said fifth-grader Isaac Brown. These young people do seem to think Similarly, EDF has been helping as they traveled on the buses. “We found more about the future than earlier genera- youth groups fight for laws to reduce school that the air kids were breathing inside the tions did. Their hope is to set an example. bus idling. In the Conroe district near bus was sometimes five to ten times worse They’re planting seeds, and working to en- Houston, we recruited student volunteers than the air outside because of diesel pollu- sure that they take firm root. to carry test equipment in their backpacks tion,” said our staff scientist Elena Craft. —Jim Motavalli Going to work to defend the desert hen the Bureau of Land Management designated a Wsection of California’s Mojave Desert as the site of a radioactive waste dump, Hannah Bentley, a prominent environmental lawyer, went to work. She joined forces with Native American tribes and environmental groups and together they won protection for the area as critical habitat for the endangered desert tortoise. From that day on, she was able to camp in the desert she had helped protect. It remains one of her proudest achievements. Hannah Bentley Bentley goes to work each day on behalf of the with husband planet: preserving endangered species habitat, protecting Harvey Toyama vulnerable populations from unjust environmental harm and helping frame policy around California’s historic global warming act. Leave a legacy Bentley has bolstered her environmental legacy by des- To include EDF in your will or trust, we suggest this ignating Environmental Defense Fund as a beneficiary of language: her IRA and 401(k) retirement plans. Gifts through estate “I hereby give ____to Environmental Defense plans provide EDF with resources to meet the most serious Fund, Incorporated, a not-for-profit membership environmental challenges of the future. organization incorporated by the laws of the State of “As an environmental lawyer, I have long realized the New York, having as its principal address 257 Park importance of talking with all parties,” she says. “I like the Avenue South, New York, NY 10010.” way EDF takes the big picture view and makes an effort not Contact Nick Pitaro, toll-free, at 1-877-677-7397 or at to alienate key players. With its ability to build bridges, [email protected]. Or visit us at edf.org/plannedgiving EDF will be needed more than ever in the years ahead.”

Find latest updates at edf.org 11 NEWS FROM THE FIELD Hope for endangered Gulf sea turtles Sea turtles have been around for at least 110 this system, each boat is assigned a per- million years, but today all of them are ei- centage of the total allowable catch. Cap- ther endangered or threatened. Off the west tains can fish sensibly rather than racing to coast of Florida, endangered loggerhead catch fish as quickly as possible. This trans- turtles have been dying in increasing num- lates into increased dockside prices while bers, accidentally caught up in longline fish- reducing sea turtle entanglements and the ing gear. In response, the National Marine inadvertent catching of other fish. Regula- Fisheries Service plans to suspend longline tors recently approved a catch share for fishing. EDF is working hard on a solution grouper and tilefish in the Gulf. to keep fishermen in business while ensur- Paffe is optimistic. “Experience has ing the steady recovery of turtles and ailing shown us that environmental solutions Gulf fisheries. are most successful when they make eco- ONLINE: Bringing back endangered sea Currently vessels deploy lines over nomic sense,” she says. turtles. Watch our video at edf.org/gulf seven miles long, baited with hundreds of hooks. Our plan is to finance a conver- sion to fishing gear that does not harm sea turtles. Our partnership with KKR: “We are working closely with both the bottom line is green fishermen and regulators,” says Heather Paffe, director of EDF’s Gulf of Mexico “Pollution by definition is Oceans program. “A small investment will waste, and waste costs go a long way towards protecting endan- money,” says Gwen Ruta, our gered sea life and keeping our coastal busi- VP of corporate partnerships. nesses viable.” Helping companies cut costs Protective measures secured by through environmental inno- EDF off the Texas coast have allowed vation is the driving force be- Kemp’s ridley turtles to rebound locally hind our successful Green for a record fifth straight year. Portfolio Project with private Sea turtles and other marine life also equity giant Kohlberg Kravis will benefit from our campaign to switch Roberts (KKR). troubled fisheries to “catch shares.” Under It’s the first attempt by a

nonprofit group to green the istockphoto.com portfolio of a private equity Busy round-the-clock, KKR’s hospitals have ample firm, prompting Fortune mag- opportunities to cut energy use. azine to call the partnership “significant” and “surprising.” KKR has other KKR companies: Accellent, Bio­ ownership stakes in 47 companies, includ- met, Dollar General and Hospital Cor- ing popular names like Toys “R” Us and poration of America. Sealy. EDF accepts no funding from KKR We began by working with three KKR or any other corporate partner. We will companies: U.S. Foodservice, PRIMEDIA make the Green Portfolio Project strate- and Sealy Corporation. All told, we helped gies freely available to other companies initiate improvements that saved $16.4 mil- through our online Innovation Exchange lion, cut paper use by 3,000 tons and reduced (see story page 5). greenhouse gas pollution by more than 25,000 According to KKR managing director tons. “These initial results provide a high note Ken Mehlman, “Going forward, we will

Norbert Wu/Minden Pictures in this low economy,” said Ruta, “and we’re continue to implement Project tools to gen- EDF enlisted fishermen to help save just getting started.” erate more cost savings and environmental loggerheads. The initiative now spreads to four benefits at other portfolio companies.” 12 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions NEWS FROM THE FIELD

Map your global warming future Air quality in U.S. greenhouse national parks: gas emissions are Persistence pays off currently three times those of India. Ever wonder if that rapidly de- veloping country’s emissions will sur- pass those of the United States? Now the answer is at your fingertips. EDF’s new interactive global To take the map for a test run, visit edf.org/emissions map compares two paths forward on global warming: one ac- international climate agreement. By slid- cording to business as usual and the sec- ing the scale on the map to a desired ond incorporating our proposed reduc- year—and highlighting a region by hold- tions—a 50% cut in global emissions by ing the mouse over it—users can com- 2050. That’s the minimum reduction sci- pare future emissions.

entists say is necessary to avert serious cli- “The map allows you to see the im- istockphoto.com mate change. plications of policy choices,” says our For park visitors, seeing is believing. The data take into account different GIS specialist Peter Black. “What ac- reduction targets for developed and de- tions will get us where we need to be to The road toward clean air in America’s veloping nations, as is likely under any save the planet?” national parks has been a long one. As far back as 1977, Congress set a goal of cleaning up dirty air in major parks and Getting the lead out wilderness areas. But this proved more difficult than expected. After years of de- diovascular disease in adults. lays, 37 states still have not produced the Hence we welcome EPA’s deci- plans required to clear the air near na- sion to tighten the lead standard ten- tional parks. fold. The new standard, 0.15 micro- EDF, Earthjustice and the Nation- grams per cubic meter (μg/m3), is with- al Parks Conservation Association suc- in the range recommended to EPA by cessfully sued EPA to compel action. its science advisors. But EPA’s own Now the states have two years to get analysis shows that to prevent a measur- their plans finished and approved. able decrease in IQ for the most vulner- The stakes are huge. Nitrogen oxides

istockphoto.com able children, the lead standard should and sulfur dioxide from automobiles, Each year, some 400,000 newborns are be set as low as 0.02 μg/m3. power plants and cement manufacturers exposed to dangerous levels of lead. EDF has worked to reduce lead ex- stunt plant growth, acidify lakes and wors- posure since the 1970s, when children’s en smog. They also contribute to haze that Lead is a potent neurotoxin, but not average blood level was seven times reduces visibility in Yellowstone, Yosemite until recently were the serious health higher than today. In 1985, we played a and the Great Smoky Mountains to half or risks of very low levels of lead established. major role in banning lead from gasoline. less of what it should be. New studies show that lead levels even “This will help protect children,” “With this victory and a newly en- lower than EPA’s 1978 allowable maxi- says John Balbus, M.D., director of our ergized EPA, we’re finally on track to re- mum caused lowered IQ’s in children, Health program. “But the science justi- store clean air to America’s national aggressive behavior in teenagers and car- fies an even lower standard.” parks,” said our attorney Kevin Lynch.

Find latest updates at edf.org 13 On the move CAN WILDLIFE ADAPT TO A WARMING WORLD? Momtuik-Eastcott/NGS Scientists are striving to predict how migration will change with global warming and what actions can help wildlife adapt.

ou’d be hard-pressed to find two birds more unlike than the the Ashe-juniper habitat in central Texas. Ygolden-cheeked warbler—delicate, private, tiny, and the “Part of the coming challenge will be greater sage-grouse—bulky, ground-dwelling and famously flam- anticipating the warbler’s response to climate change,” says Environmental Defense Fund boyant in courtship. But for all their differences, the two species ecologist David Wolfe, who works on habitat face an increasingly common problem: an uncertain future as in Texas. “We have to protect land not just global warming begins to play havoc with their habitats. where they are now but where they will be.”

A recent Audubon study revealed that more challenges. For the sage grouse, climate A RECIPE FOR WILDLIFE than 300 species of North American birds change could mean a big squeeze as sage- Broadening a species’ range greatly in- already are wintering farther north, some brush habitat is lost in many areas. The war- creases its resilience in times of stress, so hundreds of miles from their former range. bler’s troubles are even trickier, since the spe- Wolfe is working on buffer zones and This will create varied and unpredictable cies breeds in only one place in the world, corridors that will allow for the bird’s next moves. Most of this potential habitat is on private land, and local landowners Shift in winter grounds raises alarm have embraced Wolfe’s efforts. “Ranchers might have once looked at having an endangered species as a lia- Boreal bility, but we look at it as an asset,” says Chickadee one of those landowners, Jay Wagley, a Spruce Grouse cattle rancher who leases out land to Varied Thrush hunters. “Habitat that’s good for warblers Red-breasted is habitat that’s good for most species.” Steller’s Pine Siskin Nuthatch Jay A thousand miles to the north, this thought is echoed by Margaret Solen Pygmy Nuthatch Hinson, an Idaho sheep and cattle ranch- er whose land serves as a gathering spot House Finch Purple Wild Turkey Finch for courtship rituals of the sage grouse. “Private lands are the connective Fox American Sparrow Goldfinch tissue for migrating species,” she says. That connective tissue has never As temperatures warmed from Ring-necked been more vital. Habitat preservation, Duck 1966 to 2005, many birds began American Robin Ring-billed Gull never easy, has become even more diffi- wintering farther north. Map cult with habitat a moving target. shows the movement of 15 species in that timespan. “One of the most complicated issues we face today is how to adapt to climate Source: Audubon Society Carol Zuber-Mallison change,” says EDF chief scientist Dr. Ste- 14 Environmental Defense Fund Solutions

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Environmental Defense Fund For: Christina Baute, EDF File name: 2009 EDF-BirdMigration4.ai Placed file(s): None

For page: Last updated: 03/08/2009 Updated by: Carol Zuber-Mallison ZM GRAPHICS • 214-906-4162 • [email protected] (c) 2009, ZM Graphics Usage: Exclusive rights within EDF, can not be resold ven Hamburg. “We need to create policies that help species survive and make ecosys- Endangered Species Act: Science wins tems more resilient—not just by capping pollution but by removing other stressors.” President Obama has restored a key Endangered The new circumstances require a Species Act provision undone by the Bush admin- more active style of habitat management. It istration. The decision reestablishes scientific will no longer be enough to look back at an oversight of federal agencies to protect rare spe- cies. EDF wildlife chairman Michael Bean, a area’s historic flora and fauna, but to antici- leader in safeguarding endangered species law, pate, through modeling, what will be there was present at the announcement. next. EDF’s Sam Pearsall, who works with “The president’s action is another indication estuarine ecosystems in North Carolina’s that science is once again respected in the White Albemarle Sound, calls this pre-storing House,” said Bean. “The Endangered Species Animals Animals habitat, in his case readying freshwater hab- The greater sage-grouse Act, like many of the plants and animals it pro- itats for their brackish future. celebrates. tects, is on its way to recovery.” “We need to consider that rising seas may transform a terrestrial habitat into a sub- merged one,” he says. “We must actively man- “The salad bar was open,” says An- owners and doing what we can to diversify age species and habitats or risk losing them.” thony Barnosky, a paleoecologist and au- existing populations. At the same time, we Another protective approach is to thor of the forthcom- must improve our bolster existing populations of endangered ing Heatstroke: Nature ––––– ability to predict where species, since a healthy and diverse popula- in the Age of Global “Private lands are the species and habitats tion is more likely to withstand the effects Warming. “But now connective tissue for will be moving. of climate change. with warmer winters This new antici- they wake early and migrating species.” patory science, relying THE MARMOT’S SALAD BAR stumble out into a still Idaho rancher Margaret Solen Hinson on predictive models Keeping populations healthy is complicated snow-covered world. ––––– and our best scientific by the fact that phenology—nature’s clock— They starve.” instincts, will be vital is being thrown out of whack. Consider the Scientists helping nature cope with cli- as we look to the future to save our planet’s marmot. For millions of years marmots mate change agree: This is a problem that we past. The art of preserving nature will have would crawl out of their dark winter dens to created and that we must help alleviate. This to become almost as adaptable as nature it- nibble on the green world outside. Their will require sharpening all of the tools we are self, as we, along with the golden-cheeked timing was exquisite, their internal clocks already using—creating migratory corridors warbler and greater sage-grouse, take a crash prodded by the warmth of spring. and buffers by working with private land- course in living in a changing world.

Ranchers protect Hawaiian corals It’s not often that farmers and ranchers get to protect coral reefs, but that’s exactly what is happening in Hawaii, thanks to a new conservation pro- gram EDF helped pioneer. Hawaii’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) uses state and federal funds to help landowners restore streamside habitat on 15,000 acres across the six main islands. Centuries of ranching on the islands have eroded mountain slopes, causing soil to run into the ocean and smother corals. By plant- ing native trees, restoring wetlands and installing fences to keep cattle and feral pigs out of streams, landowners can prevent erosion and cre- ate much-needed habitat for many endangered species. EDF helped create CREP a decade ago and landowners are now protecting more than one million acres. Our consultant Terry Noto worked with government officials and landowners to shape a program

Archer Kelly specifically for the state. Reducing agricultural runoff in Hawaii will help pre- “This gives landowners in Hawaii practical help to protect their serve ocean reefs. incredible natural heritage,” she says.

Find latest updates at edf.org 15

Colors: C M Y K 2718 n January, President George W. Bush Iannounced the creation of three “marine A world apart monuments”—ocean areas off-limits to IN THE CENTRAL PACIFIC, AN OCEAN TREASURE fishing and mining. All told, the tracts of Central Pacific ocean, dotted with coral FINDS PROTECTION reefs and ribbons of spectacular tropical islands, are nearly the size of California. Huge undersea mountains, bubbling hydrothermal vents and the ocean’s deepest chasm, the Mariana Trench, remain mostly unexplored beneath the waves. Environmental Defense Fund, togeth- er with the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, worked with the Bush administra- tion to win strong safeguards for the new sanctuaries. We compiled findings from

Paul Chesley/NGS more than 200 leading scientists and built key political backing in support of the plan. Large predatory fish “These new marine monuments like these sharks rank right up there with our nation’s rule at King­man greatest national parks,” said EDF execu- Reef, a place still tive director David Yarnold. largely untouched by humans. See more glorious ocean creatures in our slide show: edf.org/CoralWorldSlideshow

The protected areas contain some of Earth’s most long-lived shallow-water

Brian Skerry/NGS corals. This giant coral lobe may Sometimes called be 500 years old. the Tinkerbell of seabirds, the fairy tern catches fish by swooping down and pluck- ing them from Enric Sala the sea. From the Spanish bobo for stupid, this blue-footed

Martin Harvey/Alamy booby is said to be clumsy on land, its least graceful environment.

Colorfully named convict surgeon- fish keep reefs clean by feeding on algae and

Bob Cranston/Animals Animals plankton. Tui De Roy/Minden Pictures