Everything from strawberries in November to Lawrence’s lack of curbside recycling will be discussed at a town hall forum on Monday aimed at spurring discussion about making the community more environmentally-friendly. Representatives from Liberty Hall, the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival, Zephyr Energy, and The World Company – which publishes the Journal-World – are teaming up to host the Lawrence Sustainability Town Hall Event from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday at Liberty Hall, 642 Mass. Sarah Hill-Nelson, owner-operator of The Bowersock Mills and Power Company, will take your questions.

macon47

The duplicity of the curbside recycling program continues to amaze me.
There is no reason for the city to add this service
For those that are so concerned, they can easily CONTRACT to have their
Recyclables hauled away weekly.
For the more adventuresome, walmart will take their recyclables for FREE.
Why do the rest of us have to pay for a bunch of old lazy marginally employed liberal hippies who do not have the wherewith all to handle their own garbage
In the name of a greener earth?

Moderator

Hi! I’m Joel Mathis, managing editor for convergence, and Sarah has joined us. Welcome, Sarah!

Sarah Hill-Nelson

Hi! I’m Sarah. I am an owner/operator of The Bowersock Mills and Power Company in Lawrence, and also work for the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, headquartered in Portland, OR.

Moderator

I’ll ask a question before we get to reader questions. Sarah, please tell us about the origins and purpose of tonight’s sustainability summit.

Sarah Hill-Nelson

This really evolved through working with Brett Mosiman of The Wakarusa Festival. Brett and Jami had been working hard to make the Festival more sustainable, and we all started talking about things that could be done in Lawrence. Brett came up with the idea of doing a Town Hall discussion here in town.

Sarah Hill-Nelson

Jami refers to Jami Sweeney, the Assistant Director of the Festival.

Packman

Do Zephyr Energy green tags lead to new renewable energy generation, or do they primarily benefit existing facilities? (And how many off-sets do you need for the giant pick-up truck in your picture?)

Sarah Hill-Nelson

I’ll answer the pick-up question first. That’s Bowersock’s truck, which we use to transport equipment. Bowersock bought a diesel with the hope that we could use biodiesel. We tried to get Capitol City Oil to put in a pump here, and explored getting a pump down at the plant. Due to the location of the plant, that wasn’t feasible. The good news is that Zarco is going to put in a biodiesel station at the corner of 9th and Iowa, so we hope to be filling there within the next several months. Regarding the Zephyr Energy green tags, at least 50% of every Zephyr tag comes from Bowersock. Bowersock is (obviously) not “new.” We are, however, considered “re-powered” which is why we qualify to sell Green Tags. We had to document that over 80% of the market value of the plant had been reinvested in the plant since 1999 in order to gain this designation. Regarding how many tags it would take to do the truck, I’ll have to check on the biodiesel #. You can go the Zephyr Energy site www.zephyrenergy.org to find out how many green tags it takes to offset your car or truck.

sustainabilitysister

Hi Sarah. Has the issue ever been raised to ask the largest employees in town to switch to biodegradable and non-toxic cleaners for water, environmental issues and for the employees that work in those environments, particularly the USD 497 School District where the majority of our city’s children are schooled?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

I think that is a great suggestion. I hope maybe you could attend the Town Hall tonight to ask that. Another thing to ask USD #497 would be about the school boundaries. Could they be drawn so that children attend the closest school? Some drive 7 miles when there is a school 3 blocks from their home.

trombeck

What are three simple things I could do at home to be more earth-friendly?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

1. Install compact florescent lights instead of the standard incandescents. 2. the next time you buy an appliance, make sure it is Energy Star. 3. Consider putting up a clothes line and avoiding using the dryer.

monkeywrench

please explain “green tags.”

Sarah Hill-Nelson

Green Tags are also known as Renewable Energy Credits, or Certificates. For a long time people that produced renewable energy have argued that renewable energy is different from standard, conventional polluting energy such as coal-fired energy. Given the way the grid operates, all the energy gets mixed up once it gets on the grid. RECs are a way to pay a little more money for the renewable energy that gets on the grid. You buy a Green Tag, and the producer of renewable energy from whom you bought it gets a better return on his/her investment. The ultimate goal is to promote the establishment of new renewable energy generation.

sustainabilitysister

Hi Sarah. I do find it interesting that Lawrence considers itself a “green city” and yet we do not have curbside recycling programs provided by the city. I know of a city by the name of McKinleyville, California that did not have the resources to start a city wide curbside recycling program but instead residents bought a distinct looking blue trash bag which included their trash pick-up fee. When your bag was full you placed it out on the curb. This prompted individuals to recycle because every time their bag was picked up they had to buy a new one. Is the city looking into systematic steps that would promote recycling in the city if we’re not able to implement curbside recycling programs just yet? Also, when the city decided to upgrade their water treatment facility did they look into alternative and sustainable technology? Natural filtration systems? Thank you for all that you do!!!

Sarah Hill-Nelson

There should be a good deal of discussion about curbside recycling tonight. This is an issue the city has been considering for a long time, and I think the community input will have an impact on the decisions that are made. I had heard that there was some consideration of alternative water treatment systems butI would need to refer that question to the city.

sustainabilitysister

I’m believer that knowledge is power and education is the key. There’s a new field by the name of Humane Education that incorporates environmental education with issues such as “pet” overpopulation. It promotes cohabitation with all living things and promotes conservation. Humans are viewed as the stewards within Humane Education. Does the city plan on doing outreach programs for youths and adults in order to empower us with knowledge? Some humane societies across the country employ humane educators to implement these education programs in the schools.

Sarah Hill-Nelson

Another great question to bring up tonight. I also believe that education is critical to making changes. I hope tonight that people will get to tap in to these discussions and learn about what other cities are doing as well. I think we have to get it out of academic circles and in to mainstream discussion.

Moderator

To follow an earlier question: How “green” is Lawrence, in your opinion?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

I think Lawrence has a good start – primarily that we have a significant group of Lawrence people that are thinking about this issue. The City has made some progress on this issue, but they haven’t publicized a lot of them. For example, they have been making progress on making buildings more energy efficient. To answer your question more directly, I would say we have a long way to go.

mpaget

We’ve begun installing compact florescent bulbs in our home. We found out recently that they have mercury in them and can’t simply be tossed out with the trash when they burn out. Where in Lawrence can we take these bulbs to dispose of them properly?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

The City Solid Waste Division has a site where you can drop off your bulbs. You can just save them in an old shopping bag and take them when you get rid of your batteries. The number for Solid Waste where you can find details is 832-3022. Also, another thing to consider is that the amount of mercury that goes into the atmosphere from burning the coal to light a standard incandescent is far greater than the amount of mercury in the cfl. Way to go for making the change!

Moderator

After the summit, what next? Are any actions planned to follow tonight’s event?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

I think we’ll see how this evening goes and go from there. I think as a long term goal the City should have a sustainability check list. Any time they make a decision, they should check the list and make sure that they are doing what they can to be more sustainable. Everyone needs to communicate with Commissioners and tell them that they care. People have to advocate for themselves.

monkeywrench

since the bottom line is usually, well, the bottom line, what are some economic benefits of a greener city?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

Recently Windsor, Colorado just got a new Vestas wind blade turbine factory. Lawrence has everything that we need to get a plant like that (rail, highways, workforce), but Kansas has developed a reputation nationwide as being “anti-wind.” Companies like Vestas are more likely to go to a state like Colorado that has a Renewable Portfolio Standard that encourages renewable energy development. People want to move to towns that are livable. Lawrence will attract people and businesses if we make our town more livable and sustainable.

Moderator

I think we’ll wrap up this chat. Sarah, could you remind folks when and where they can particpate in tonight’s summit?

Sarah Hill-Nelson

The Sustainability Town Hall Event is tonight at Liberty Hall in the 600 Block of Massachusetts from 7-9. We’d love to see a good group of people with probing questions for our city representatives. Three City Commissioners and a County Commissioner among others will be there to listen so it is a great time to get your ideas heard and questions answered.