xcel
03-11-2007, 10:00 AM
Passion hasn't produced much action. In many cases, mayors said, they're still gathering ideas on how to reduce a town's reliance on fossil fuels -- a chief source of greenhouse emissions. (http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MTAmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwOTIyNDImeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXky)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Mayors_Climate_Protection_Agreement.jpgAlex Nussbaum - The Record - Mar. 10, 2007
It's still early, and most towns say grander changes will come. But a survey by The Record last week found the communities haven't taken many steps to cut the heat-trapping gases they condemned.
They have company. Despite predictions by scientists of stronger hurricanes, deeper droughts and other potential calamities, a recent study found major cities across the United States are making little headway with similar promises. The slow starts are a reminder of how many factors -- such as the nation's energy policy and auto efficiency standards -- are out of the hands of even the most ambitious towns.
"We're studying it; everybody is," said Ringwood Mayor Joanne Atlas, who signed a pledge to cut greenhouse gases as one of her first official acts last year. "But as we all know, it's hard in our lives to change habits."
More than 400 communities in the United States -- with 55 million residents -- have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in the last two years.
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels began the movement two years ago, after the climate-protecting Kyoto Protocol took effect without the United States on board. The treaty requires nations to cut heat-trapping emissions below 1990 levels by 2012. The Bush administration has refused to sign on, citing the potential economic damage from forcing automakers, power plants and other industries to comply.
The mayors' agreement, Nickels said, would pressure the federal government to act -- and to show that towns could tackle global warming without breaking the bank. It commits communities to cutting or offsetting their output of greenhouse gases through steps such as conserving energy, reining in suburban sprawl and planting trees.
In North Jersey, Cliffside Park, Closter, Demarest, Haworth, Ringwood, Teaneck and West Milford signed the pact. This January, the mayors of 14 towns in the Meadowlands issued their own pledge to meet Kyoto's goals.
"I do believe that the Earth belongs to all of us," said East Rutherford Mayor James Casella, who joined the Meadowlands agreement. "We all need to participate in this, however little we can do."
But passion hasn't produced much action. In many cases, mayors said, they're still gathering ideas on how to reduce a town's reliance on fossil fuels -- a chief source of greenhouse emissions.
In others, it's the usual obstacle: money.
In Ringwood, the proposed municipal budget includes funding for two gas-electric hybrid vehicles. But they'll probably get axed as the town looks for ways to save money, Atlas admitted.
The borough has convened a "green-ribbon" committee to look at energy use. Installing solar panels is one idea Atlas likes. She cites the town's farmers' market as another anti-warming initiative: If residents buy food from local growers, they'll reduce demand for produce driven halfway across the country in greenhouse gas-spewing trucks.
"Other towns, mainly cities, they operate on a different scale than we do. They can make more of a difference," Atlas said. "Being mayor, I try to use it as a bully pulpit, to raise awareness about the issue."
Teaneck's Township Council adopted the climate plan in August. So what's changed? So far, only the light bulbs in council chambers -- from incandescents to more efficient fluorescents. This week, a private consultant is due to begin an audit of energy use in municipal buildings, said Lisette Aportela-Hernandez, an assistant to the township manager.
"We plan to make a dent," she said.
Few towns seem to have taken one of the first steps suggested by the mayors' agreement -- figuring out how many greenhouse gases they're actually emitting.
"I don't know where we'd even have records like that," said Haworth Mayor John DiRienzo. "Where we're starting out is simply trying to do whatever we can to reduce emissions."
DiRienzo hopes to include money in next year's budget for a hybrid vehicle and fluorescent lighting. He also counts the town's continued support of land preservation as progress: Less development in town means less pollution-brewing traffic and more trees to suck greenhouse gases out of the air.
In January, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a Minnesota non-profit that studies local economies, surveyed eight cities that had signed the agreement and predicted that few if any would fulfill the pledge.
The cities -- including Atlanta, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Seattle -- are relying largely on the hope that the state and federal governments will regulate emissions, author John Bailey found.
It's not completely a surprise. Even nations that have ratified the Kyoto agreement admit they'll have a hard time meeting emissions targets. And, besides the United States, the treaty also doesn't include India and China, with their fast-growing economies.
"This stuff is not going to be painless," Bailey said. "But if you start to do things locally -- such as energy conservation programs and green building programs -- those things have an upfront cost, but they end up paying back in the end."
In North Jersey, some of the most promising efforts are in the Meadowlands, where the state's Meadowlands Commission is providing key assistance.
The commission has contracted with Rutgers University to inventory local emissions. It's also talking with Mack Trucks about developing municipal garbage trucks that could run on methane from local landfills, said Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell.
Secaucus bought a hybrid car last year, Elwell noted. He'd like to encourage solar development as well, but he's waiting for the commission to develop financing and recommend sites.
Other steps -- such as more mass transit or car-pool requirements on local highways -- could do even more, Elwell added, but those are decisions for the state.
"We're not going to solve our greenhouse problem by doing one thing," he said. "It's going to be many, many, many things worldwide."
* * *
Taking the pledge
More than 400 mayors across the United States have vowed to meet the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. These North Jersey towns have signed on:
Bergen County: Carlstadt, Cliffside Park, Closter, Demarest, East Rutherford, Haworth, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack, Teaneck, Teterboro
Passaic County: Ringwood, West Milford
Hudson County: Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus
* * *
What you can do
Tips for reducing your personal contributions to greenhouse gases:
Buy a more fuel-efficient car. Gas-electric hybrids, in particular, will cut down on emissions.
Drive less. Walk, bicycle, car-pool, telecommute or use mass transit when you can.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting.
Turn off lights and computers when you leave the room. Unplug cellphone and iPod chargers, DVD players and stereos when not in use. They keep draining juice even when not turned on.
Buy renewable energy. New Jersey's njcleanenergy.com site can help you find a provider.
Replace appliances with high-efficiency Energy Star models. Old refrigerators, furnaces and boilers, especially, are energy hogs.
Can't give up that Hummer? Consider buying carbon offsets from a service such as Carbonfund, TerraPass, NativeEnergy or Drive Neutral, all available on the Internet.
To size up your carbon footprint, and for more tips, check out these Web sites:
EPA's Personal Greenhouse Gas Calculator (epa.gov)
stopglobalwarming.org/carboncalculator.asp
BP's carbon footprint calculator (bp.com)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Mayors_Climate_Protection_Agreement.jpgAlex Nussbaum - The Record - Mar. 10, 2007
It's still early, and most towns say grander changes will come. But a survey by The Record last week found the communities haven't taken many steps to cut the heat-trapping gases they condemned.
They have company. Despite predictions by scientists of stronger hurricanes, deeper droughts and other potential calamities, a recent study found major cities across the United States are making little headway with similar promises. The slow starts are a reminder of how many factors -- such as the nation's energy policy and auto efficiency standards -- are out of the hands of even the most ambitious towns.
"We're studying it; everybody is," said Ringwood Mayor Joanne Atlas, who signed a pledge to cut greenhouse gases as one of her first official acts last year. "But as we all know, it's hard in our lives to change habits."
More than 400 communities in the United States -- with 55 million residents -- have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in the last two years.
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels began the movement two years ago, after the climate-protecting Kyoto Protocol took effect without the United States on board. The treaty requires nations to cut heat-trapping emissions below 1990 levels by 2012. The Bush administration has refused to sign on, citing the potential economic damage from forcing automakers, power plants and other industries to comply.
The mayors' agreement, Nickels said, would pressure the federal government to act -- and to show that towns could tackle global warming without breaking the bank. It commits communities to cutting or offsetting their output of greenhouse gases through steps such as conserving energy, reining in suburban sprawl and planting trees.
In North Jersey, Cliffside Park, Closter, Demarest, Haworth, Ringwood, Teaneck and West Milford signed the pact. This January, the mayors of 14 towns in the Meadowlands issued their own pledge to meet Kyoto's goals.
"I do believe that the Earth belongs to all of us," said East Rutherford Mayor James Casella, who joined the Meadowlands agreement. "We all need to participate in this, however little we can do."
But passion hasn't produced much action. In many cases, mayors said, they're still gathering ideas on how to reduce a town's reliance on fossil fuels -- a chief source of greenhouse emissions.
In others, it's the usual obstacle: money.
In Ringwood, the proposed municipal budget includes funding for two gas-electric hybrid vehicles. But they'll probably get axed as the town looks for ways to save money, Atlas admitted.
The borough has convened a "green-ribbon" committee to look at energy use. Installing solar panels is one idea Atlas likes. She cites the town's farmers' market as another anti-warming initiative: If residents buy food from local growers, they'll reduce demand for produce driven halfway across the country in greenhouse gas-spewing trucks.
"Other towns, mainly cities, they operate on a different scale than we do. They can make more of a difference," Atlas said. "Being mayor, I try to use it as a bully pulpit, to raise awareness about the issue."
Teaneck's Township Council adopted the climate plan in August. So what's changed? So far, only the light bulbs in council chambers -- from incandescents to more efficient fluorescents. This week, a private consultant is due to begin an audit of energy use in municipal buildings, said Lisette Aportela-Hernandez, an assistant to the township manager.
"We plan to make a dent," she said.
Few towns seem to have taken one of the first steps suggested by the mayors' agreement -- figuring out how many greenhouse gases they're actually emitting.
"I don't know where we'd even have records like that," said Haworth Mayor John DiRienzo. "Where we're starting out is simply trying to do whatever we can to reduce emissions."
DiRienzo hopes to include money in next year's budget for a hybrid vehicle and fluorescent lighting. He also counts the town's continued support of land preservation as progress: Less development in town means less pollution-brewing traffic and more trees to suck greenhouse gases out of the air.
In January, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a Minnesota non-profit that studies local economies, surveyed eight cities that had signed the agreement and predicted that few if any would fulfill the pledge.
The cities -- including Atlanta, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Seattle -- are relying largely on the hope that the state and federal governments will regulate emissions, author John Bailey found.
It's not completely a surprise. Even nations that have ratified the Kyoto agreement admit they'll have a hard time meeting emissions targets. And, besides the United States, the treaty also doesn't include India and China, with their fast-growing economies.
"This stuff is not going to be painless," Bailey said. "But if you start to do things locally -- such as energy conservation programs and green building programs -- those things have an upfront cost, but they end up paying back in the end."
In North Jersey, some of the most promising efforts are in the Meadowlands, where the state's Meadowlands Commission is providing key assistance.
The commission has contracted with Rutgers University to inventory local emissions. It's also talking with Mack Trucks about developing municipal garbage trucks that could run on methane from local landfills, said Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell.
Secaucus bought a hybrid car last year, Elwell noted. He'd like to encourage solar development as well, but he's waiting for the commission to develop financing and recommend sites.
Other steps -- such as more mass transit or car-pool requirements on local highways -- could do even more, Elwell added, but those are decisions for the state.
"We're not going to solve our greenhouse problem by doing one thing," he said. "It's going to be many, many, many things worldwide."
* * *
Taking the pledge
More than 400 mayors across the United States have vowed to meet the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. These North Jersey towns have signed on:
Bergen County: Carlstadt, Cliffside Park, Closter, Demarest, East Rutherford, Haworth, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack, Teaneck, Teterboro
Passaic County: Ringwood, West Milford
Hudson County: Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus
* * *
What you can do
Tips for reducing your personal contributions to greenhouse gases:
Buy a more fuel-efficient car. Gas-electric hybrids, in particular, will cut down on emissions.
Drive less. Walk, bicycle, car-pool, telecommute or use mass transit when you can.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting.
Turn off lights and computers when you leave the room. Unplug cellphone and iPod chargers, DVD players and stereos when not in use. They keep draining juice even when not turned on.
Buy renewable energy. New Jersey's njcleanenergy.com site can help you find a provider.
Replace appliances with high-efficiency Energy Star models. Old refrigerators, furnaces and boilers, especially, are energy hogs.
Can't give up that Hummer? Consider buying carbon offsets from a service such as Carbonfund, TerraPass, NativeEnergy or Drive Neutral, all available on the Internet.
To size up your carbon footprint, and for more tips, check out these Web sites:
EPA's Personal Greenhouse Gas Calculator (epa.gov)
stopglobalwarming.org/carboncalculator.asp
BP's carbon footprint calculator (bp.com)