3 Green Workshops in September

LID - Low Impact Development Workshop An alternative approach to site design. Workshop for Developers, Designers, Builders & Regulators

September 19, 2007 - Georgetown, MA
September 26, 2007 - Plymouth, MA
October 3, 2007 - Providence, RI

Why Attend This Workshop? Low-impact development (LID) is an alternative approach to site design that is natural resource based and incorporates a wide variety of low-cost structural and non-structural techniques. LID is a hot topic with state and local permitting agencies throughout the nation. Local zoning laws are being revised to incorporate smart growth and LID provisions. Conventional development using standard engineering practices commonly is a lengthy, time-consuming permitting process that results in sprawl, with environmental impacts and a reduction in real estate values.
This hands-on, practical short course covers land planning principles, design criteria, permitting strategies and uses real case studies.
You will learn how to:
Increase real estate values;
Reduce construction and maintenance costs; and
Reduce permitting time.

For more information and to register for one of these workshops, go to http://www.horsleywitten.com/lid-workshop.html


Green Roof TrainingGreen Roofs for Healthy Cities presents:
September 25th - Green Roof Design 101 Introductory Course (2nd Ed.)
September 26th - Green Roof Infrastructure Design & Installation 201

Boston Public Library Sebastians, Lower Level A Conference Room 700 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02108
Space is limited - sign up now. For more information and to register for this training, go to www.greenroofs.org.



Stormwater in the City: Managing Runoff, Improving Water Quality, and Helping Neighborhoods

Sept. 27, 2007 8:15-4:15
Hartford, Connecticut Legislative Office Building, Hearing Room 2C

Sponsored by EPA New England, CT DEP, and Capitol Region Council of Governments Registration Deadline is September 20, 2007.

Come learn how to manage stormwater in an urban environment in ways that also benefit the urban community; by creating green spaces, minimizing flooding and improving the water quality of urban rivers. Learn about how actions taken in surrounding upper watershed towns can help with managing water in downstream urban areas.

Join us in Hartford, CT on Sept. 27th to explore these issues. The conference will include success stories, presentations, training and a discussion of the Park River Watershed in the Hartford area to better understand the opportunities and challenges of managing urban stormwater in ways that benefit urban neighborhoods and the river.

Intended audience: local decision makers including municipal leaders and urban planners, planning boards, conservation commissions, public works, water and sewer utilities, regional planning agencies, conservation districts, watershed groups and community advocates, as well as, state and federal agencies, consultants and businesses.

Go to http://www.epa.gov/region1/urbanrivers/index.html for more information.

Learning to Buy Green

The Nashua Green Team wants you to know about another very important event that will be held on September 20 at the Nashua Public Library. Contact Carol Eyman if you have specific questions. 603-589-4610. See below for a description of the presentation.

Learn to Buy Green at Nashua Library
Recycled, post-consumer, chlorine-free, tree-free, green, virgin wood, fair-trade, organic, sweat-free, biodiesel . . . what does it all mean? You're concerned about the environment, but it's difficult to wade through the mumbo-jumbo to identify the goods and services that can reduce your environmental footprint.

Learn how your purchases can conserve energy and decrease demand for natural resources at "Buy Greener, Be Greener" at the Nashua Public Library on Thursday, September 20, at 7 p.m. Adam Smargon, an instructor at the Thompson School of Applied Science at the University of New Hampshire and a doctoral student in natural resources and earth systems science, will present the program, which will be held in the library's theater.

Adam Smargon will appear courtesy of the University of New Hampshire Speakers Bureau.
For more information, call the library at (603) 589-4610 or visit www.nashualibrary.org.

EPA School Bus Study Shows Idling is Worse than Re-starting Engines

(New York, N.Y.) Shut off those diesel school bus engines! That was the clear message delivered by Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator along with Congressman José E. Serrano today at a press conference held at Public School 48 in the Bronx. EPA studied school bus exhaust levels when the buses were parked but engines kept running and calculated the benefits from turning them off for various periods and then restarting them. The study concluded that idling for more than three minutes generates more pollution than stopping and re-starting the engine – debunking a widely held belief of some drivers. Turning the engine off cuts carbon monoxide, fine particles, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas.

“Pollution from school buses has health implications for everyone, especially asthmatic children,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator. “This study shows in no uncertain terms that allowing a bus to idle exposes children to more pollution and shows that a very simple step – shutting off that engine – can really make a difference.”

Under the study, EPA measured the pollution from six buses owned and operated by the Katonah-Lewisboro School District of New York. The level of pollution from buses that idled for more than three minutes was 66% higher in fine particles than pollution generated from shutting off the buses and then re-starting them. Bronx community leaders and representatives from the New York City Department of Education and the New York Power Authority joined with EPA today in support of anti-idling efforts.

Diesel exhaust particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and pose serious health risks, including aggravating the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory problems in healthy individuals. The Northeast has some of the highest asthma rates in the nation, including childhood asthma rates near 12 percent in areas of New York City.

In the U.S., 24 million children ride the school bus every day. On average, students spend an hour and a half each weekday in a school bus. Nationally, school buses drive more than 4 billion miles each year.

Due to the longevity of diesel engines, it is estimated that about one-third of all diesel school buses now in service were built before 1990. Older buses are not equipped with today's pollution controls or safety features and are estimated to emit as much as six times more pollution as the new buses that were built starting in 2004, and as much as sixty times more pollution as buses that meet the 2007 diesel standards. There are steps that school bus operators can take now to reduce pollution levels including idling reduction programs, anti-caravanning practices, ensuring proper maintenance of engines, and replacing and retrofitting older buses.

EPA will continue to work with states and local agencies, including school districts, to promote idling reduction efforts and reduce harmful air pollution to protect our children and our communities. These and other projects are possible due to collaborative efforts like the Northeast Diesel Collaborative, a partnership of EPA and private, non-profit and government groups in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the six New England states working together to fight air pollution.

For more information about reducing pollution from school buses, visit EPA’s Clean School Bus USA website at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/cleanschoolbus/

Do Green Dry Cleaners Exist?

http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/

Do Green Dry Cleaners Exist?
Contrary to what its name implies, dry cleaning involves washing clothes in a liquid solvent to remove stains. In about 85 percent of dry cleaning shops this solvent is perchloroethylene (or “perc”), a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers both a health and environmental hazard.
Dry cleaning is not always necessary; clothing makers often place the “dry clean only” label on tags because they can list no more than one cleaning method and can be held liable if an item is damaged when the owner follows the listed procedure. Yet many of these items can be safely washed at home, either by hand or using a washing machine’s delicate cycle. For clothes that must be professionally cleaned due to their size, fabric, decorations, or other factors, there is no perfect solution, but you could consider using a cleaner that offers one of the following perc-free methods.
Wet cleaning uses the universal solvent—water—along with computer-controlled washers and dryers, specialized detergents that are milder than home laundry products, and professional pressing and finishing equipment. The EPA considers it one of the safest professional cleaning methods; its benefits include “no hazardous chemical use, no hazardous waste generation, no air pollution and reduced potential for water and soil contamination.”
Carbon dioxide (CO2) cleaning uses non-toxic, liquid CO2—the same form used to carbonate soda—as the cleaning solvent, along with detergent. The CO2 is captured as a by-product of existing industrial processes, thereby utilizing emissions that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere; since only about two percent of the CO2 is lost into the air with each load of clothing, its impact on global warming is minimal. CO2 cleaning also uses less energy than traditional dry cleaning, which involves heating the solvent.
Silicone cleaning is a proprietary technology that employs a silicone-based solvent to clean clothes. The solvent itself is currently considered safe for the environment because it degrades to sand, water, and carbon dioxide, but it has caused cancer in lab animals in EPA studies. In addition, it is manufactured using chlorine, which can generate harmful dioxin emissions.
Not all cleaning methods advertised as “green” are as environmentally benign as they may seem. For example, a solvent called DF-2000 being touted as an “organic” dry cleaning fluid is actually a petroleum product manufactured by ExxonMobil. It is indeed organic in the same way gasoline and perc are organic: it contains a chain of carbon atoms. But the EPA lists DF-2000 as a neurotoxin and skin and eye irritant for workers, and its use can contribute to smog and global warming.

GoGreen Month Activity Reminder

GoGreen Month Activity Reminder:

The Nashua Green Team would like to encourage you to Change Your Commute tomorrow. Investigate alternative ways to get to work including: carpooling, walking, biking or taking public transportation. Small changes like changing your commute once a month benefit both the environment AND your wallet.

Please pass this along to your family and friends!

The Nashua Green Team

CANCELED: City Bus Press Conference

The City Bus press conference originally scheduled for today has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience.

A More Efficient Engine

Tests suggest that a new type of internal combustion engine could be practical and relatively cheap.

GoGreen Month Activity - 8/25 9AM Family Friendly Biking

The Nashua Green Team is sponsoring GoGreen Month during August. A number of events are planned to encourage people to be more cognizant of the environment and to encourage activities that are environmentally friendly. Our emphasis throughout the month will be on recycling, saving energy, proper disposal of hazardous wastes, the use of biodiesel fuel, green buildings, and alternative transportation methods such as walking and BIKING.

To encourage more people to bike and to provide an introduction to the Nashua River Rail Trail, the Nashua Green Team is sponsoring a biking event that will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 25, 2007. This event is for young and old and we encourage families to participate. Everyone that is interested in participating should plan to meet at the Gilson Road Parking lot. Our group will proceed westerly on the trail toward Pepperell, MA and beyond. Participants can bike as much or as little as they feel comfortable with.

Further information about the Nashua Green Team and GoGreen Month can be found on our web site, www.nashuagreenteam.org