By Larissa Koehler

Ask most people what the Beatles and California have in common and they might very well be at a loss. However, the answer is pretty simple: they are both unabashed trendsetters in the face of resistance – the former in their musical style and the latter in its clean energy policies.

Not content with setting a Renewable Portfolio Standard that ends at 2020, Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are pushing for the Golden State to get 50 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

To meet this ambitious target, California must build a system that is largely based on renewable electricity, like wind and solar. This is not an easy task. The primary reason? Sunshine and wind are only available at certain times of the day and can be variable during those times.

Traditionally, managers of the electricity grid have relied upon dirty “peaker” power plants – usually fossil fuel-fired and only needed a couple of days a year – to balance the grid during periods of variability or when electricity demand exceeds supply. But, in a world where 50 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources as a means to achieving a clean energy economy, we can’t rely on these dirty peaker plants to balance the variability of wind and solar.

Luckily, technology is available today that can help fill the gap of these peaker plants – and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is starting to embrace it.

This technology, also known as demand-side resources, is defined by the CPUC as:

• Energy efficiency
• Demand response, an energy conservation tool that pays customers to save energy when the grid is stressed
• Distributed generation, like rooftop solar PV
• Energy storage, including electric vehicle batteries
• Smart grid, which utilizes technologies like two way programmable thermostats, to gather energy use information to improve efficiency and enable other resources like demand response
• Water-energy measures, which address the inextricable effect of water use on energy use, and vice-versa
• Strategic electricity rate design, such as time-of-use pricing, a voluntary program that enables people to choose when they power up appliances based on electricity prices and make decisions that can both save them money and reduce harmful pollution

By encouraging customers to use energy more wisely through demand-side resources like these, utility companies can avoid the need to produce more energy as the state’s population increases. This will also cut down on infrastructure costs, as fewer power plants and transmission lines will need to be built, and those savings can be passed on to customers. Further, by leveraging the ability of electric vehicles to charge at times when there is an abundance of clean power available, as well as distributed generation, California will be able to use increasing amounts of renewable energy.

Currently, there are a number of these innovative, demand-side solutions available in California. In order to bring them together, the CPUC, under the direction of Commissioner Michel Florio, initiated a new proceeding to, “create a consistent regulatory framework for the guidance, planning, and evaluation of integrated demand side resource programs.”

EDF would like to make sure the CPUC advances the following outcomes, as stated in our formal comments:

1. Ensure Californians are an integral part of the solution. Resources on the customer side of the meter should be given due consideration and incentivized by properly structured rates and ensuring these customer-side resources are properly valued.
2. Target demand-side resources geographically. The CPUC should focus on the placement of demand-side resources where they will have the most benefit – i.e., in those areas hit hardest by air pollution. This will ensure communities historically and disproportionately burdened by dirty air benefit from these improvements.
3. Consider how to link utility revenues to the outcomes California wants. Rather than allowing cost recovery as a matter of course, the CPUC should develop principles for a utility business model that rewards utilities and Californians for integrating cost-saving, well-targeted demand-side measures on both sides of the meter. Successful resources will be those that contribute to the reliable operation of the grid and advance state environmental goals, such as AB 32 (California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a landmark piece of legislation that set an absolute, state-wide limit on greenhouse gas emissions) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
4. Link closely with distribution and reliability planning. By requiring the consideration of demand-side resources in utility planning, the CPUC can help to defer or avoid the need for more costly or environmentally damaging investments.

This new effort by the CPUC is a terrific opportunity for more coordinated, cost-effective deployment of demand-side resources that can better address California’s energy needs, improve customer choice, and reduce carbon pollution from our energy system. It’s a chance to make real, lasting change in California. Similar to the transformative effect “Beatlemania” had on music and popular culture, California’s clean energy policies can transform how we make, move, and use electricity.

This post originally appeared on EDF's California Dream 2.0 blog.

Photo credit: Activ Solar

By Larissa Koehler

Ask most people what the Beatles and California have in common and they might very well be at a loss. However, the answer is pretty simple: they are both unabashed trendsetters in the face of resistance – the former in their musical style and the latter in its clean energy policies.

Not content with setting a Renewable Portfolio Standard that ends at 2020, Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are pushing for the Golden State to get 50 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

To meet this ambitious target, California must build a system that is largely based on renewable electricity, like wind and solar. This is not an easy task. The primary reason? Sunshine and wind are only available at certain times of the day and can be variable during those times.

Traditionally, managers of the electricity grid have relied upon dirty “peaker” power plants – usually fossil fuel-fired and only needed a couple of days a year – to balance the grid during periods of variability or when electricity demand exceeds supply. But, in a world where 50 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources as a means to achieving a clean energy economy, we can’t rely on these dirty peaker plants to balance the variability of wind and solar.

Luckily, technology is available today that can help fill the gap of these peaker plants – and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is starting to embrace it.

This technology, also known as demand-side resources, is defined by the CPUC as:

• Energy efficiency
• Demand response, an energy conservation tool that pays customers to save energy when the grid is stressed
• Distributed generation, like rooftop solar PV
• Energy storage, including electric vehicle batteries
• Smart grid, which utilizes technologies like two way programmable thermostats, to gather energy use information to improve efficiency and enable other resources like demand response
• Water-energy measures, which address the inextricable effect of water use on energy use, and vice-versa
• Strategic electricity rate design, such as time-of-use pricing, a voluntary program that enables people to choose when they power up appliances based on electricity prices and make decisions that can both save them money and reduce harmful pollution

By encouraging customers to use energy more wisely through demand-side resources like these, utility companies can avoid the need to produce more energy as the state’s population increases. This will also cut down on infrastructure costs, as fewer power plants and transmission lines will need to be built, and those savings can be passed on to customers. Further, by leveraging the ability of electric vehicles to charge at times when there is an abundance of clean power available, as well as distributed generation, California will be able to use increasing amounts of renewable energy.

Currently, there are a number of these innovative, demand-side solutions available in California. In order to bring them together, the CPUC, under the direction of Commissioner Michel Florio, initiated a new proceeding to, “create a consistent regulatory framework for the guidance, planning, and evaluation of integrated demand side resource programs.”

EDF would like to make sure the CPUC advances the following outcomes, as stated in our formal comments:

1. Ensure Californians are an integral part of the solution. Resources on the customer side of the meter should be given due consideration and incentivized by properly structured rates and ensuring these customer-side resources are properly valued.
2. Target demand-side resources geographically. The CPUC should focus on the placement of demand-side resources where they will have the most benefit – i.e., in those areas hit hardest by air pollution. This will ensure communities historically and disproportionately burdened by dirty air benefit from these improvements.
3. Consider how to link utility revenues to the outcomes California wants. Rather than allowing cost recovery as a matter of course, the CPUC should develop principles for a utility business model that rewards utilities and Californians for integrating cost-saving, well-targeted demand-side measures on both sides of the meter. Successful resources will be those that contribute to the reliable operation of the grid and advance state environmental goals, such as AB 32 (California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a landmark piece of legislation that set an absolute, state-wide limit on greenhouse gas emissions) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
4. Link closely with distribution and reliability planning. By requiring the consideration of demand-side resources in utility planning, the CPUC can help to defer or avoid the need for more costly or environmentally damaging investments.

This new effort by the CPUC is a terrific opportunity for more coordinated, cost-effective deployment of demand-side resources that can better address California’s energy needs, improve customer choice, and reduce carbon pollution from our energy system. It’s a chance to make real, lasting change in California. Similar to the transformative effect “Beatlemania” had on music and popular culture, California’s clean energy policies can transform how we make, move, and use electricity.

This post originally appeared on EDF's California Dream 2.0 blog.

Photo credit: Activ Solar

By Larissa Koehler

Ask most people what the Beatles and California have in common and they might very well be at a loss. However, the answer is pretty simple: they are both unabashed trendsetters in the face of resistance – the former in their musical style and the latter in its clean energy policies.

Not content with setting a Renewable Portfolio Standard that ends at 2020, Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are pushing for the Golden State to get 50 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

To meet this ambitious target, California must build a system that is largely based on renewable electricity, like wind and solar. This is not an easy task. The primary reason? Sunshine and wind are only available at certain times of the day and can be variable during those times.

Traditionally, managers of the electricity grid have relied upon dirty “peaker” power plants – usually fossil fuel-fired and only needed a couple of days a year – to balance the grid during periods of variability or when electricity demand exceeds supply. But, in a world where 50 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources as a means to achieving a clean energy economy, we can’t rely on these dirty peaker plants to balance the variability of wind and solar.

Luckily, technology is available today that can help fill the gap of these peaker plants – and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is starting to embrace it.

This technology, also known as demand-side resources, is defined by the CPUC as:

• Energy efficiency
• Demand response, an energy conservation tool that pays customers to save energy when the grid is stressed
• Distributed generation, like rooftop solar PV
• Energy storage, including electric vehicle batteries
• Smart grid, which utilizes technologies like two way programmable thermostats, to gather energy use information to improve efficiency and enable other resources like demand response
• Water-energy measures, which address the inextricable effect of water use on energy use, and vice-versa
• Strategic electricity rate design, such as time-of-use pricing, a voluntary program that enables people to choose when they power up appliances based on electricity prices and make decisions that can both save them money and reduce harmful pollution

By encouraging customers to use energy more wisely through demand-side resources like these, utility companies can avoid the need to produce more energy as the state’s population increases. This will also cut down on infrastructure costs, as fewer power plants and transmission lines will need to be built, and those savings can be passed on to customers. Further, by leveraging the ability of electric vehicles to charge at times when there is an abundance of clean power available, as well as distributed generation, California will be able to use increasing amounts of renewable energy.

Currently, there are a number of these innovative, demand-side solutions available in California. In order to bring them together, the CPUC, under the direction of Commissioner Michel Florio, initiated a new proceeding to, “create a consistent regulatory framework for the guidance, planning, and evaluation of integrated demand side resource programs.”

EDF would like to make sure the CPUC advances the following outcomes, as stated in our formal comments:

1. Ensure Californians are an integral part of the solution. Resources on the customer side of the meter should be given due consideration and incentivized by properly structured rates and ensuring these customer-side resources are properly valued.
2. Target demand-side resources geographically. The CPUC should focus on the placement of demand-side resources where they will have the most benefit – i.e., in those areas hit hardest by air pollution. This will ensure communities historically and disproportionately burdened by dirty air benefit from these improvements.
3. Consider how to link utility revenues to the outcomes California wants. Rather than allowing cost recovery as a matter of course, the CPUC should develop principles for a utility business model that rewards utilities and Californians for integrating cost-saving, well-targeted demand-side measures on both sides of the meter. Successful resources will be those that contribute to the reliable operation of the grid and advance state environmental goals, such as AB 32 (California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a landmark piece of legislation that set an absolute, state-wide limit on greenhouse gas emissions) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
4. Link closely with distribution and reliability planning. By requiring the consideration of demand-side resources in utility planning, the CPUC can help to defer or avoid the need for more costly or environmentally damaging investments.

This new effort by the CPUC is a terrific opportunity for more coordinated, cost-effective deployment of demand-side resources that can better address California’s energy needs, improve customer choice, and reduce carbon pollution from our energy system. It’s a chance to make real, lasting change in California. Similar to the transformative effect “Beatlemania” had on music and popular culture, California’s clean energy policies can transform how we make, move, and use electricity.

This post originally appeared on EDF's California Dream 2.0 blog.

Photo credit: Activ Solar

By Larissa Koehler

Ask most people what the Beatles and California have in common and they might very well be at a loss. However, the answer is pretty simple: they are both unabashed trendsetters in the face of resistance – the former in their musical style and the latter in its clean energy policies.

Not content with setting a Renewable Portfolio Standard that ends at 2020, Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are pushing for the Golden State to get 50 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

To meet this ambitious target, California must build a system that is largely based on renewable electricity, like wind and solar. This is not an easy task. The primary reason? Sunshine and wind are only available at certain times of the day and can be variable during those times.

Traditionally, managers of the electricity grid have relied upon dirty “peaker” power plants – usually coal-fired and only needed a couple of days a year – to balance the grid during periods of variability or when electricity demand exceeds supply. But, in a world where 50 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources as a means to achieving a clean energy economy, we can’t rely on these dirty peaker plants to balance the variability of wind and solar.

Luckily, technology is available today that can help fill the gap of these peaker plants – and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is starting to embrace it.

This technology, also known as demand-side resources, is defined by the CPUC as:

• Energy efficiency
• Demand response, an energy conservation tool that pays customers to save energy when the grid is stressed
• Distributed generation, like rooftop solar PV
• Energy storage, including electric vehicle batteries
• Smart grid, which utilizes technologies like two way programmable thermostats, to gather energy use information to improve efficiency and enable other resources like demand response
• Water-energy measures, which address the inextricable effect of water use on energy use, and vice-versa
• Strategic electricity rate design, such as time-of-use pricing, a voluntary program that enables people to choose when they power up appliances based on electricity prices and make decisions that can both save them money and reduce harmful pollution

By encouraging customers to use energy more wisely through demand-side resources like these, utility companies can avoid the need to produce more energy as the state’s population increases. This will also cut down on infrastructure costs, as fewer power plants and transmission lines will need to be built, and those savings can be passed on to customers. Further, by leveraging the ability of electric vehicles to charge at times when there is an abundance of clean power available, as well as distributed generation, California will be able to use increasing amounts of renewable energy.

Currently, there are a number of these innovative, demand-side solutions available in California. In order to bring them together, the CPUC, under the direction of Commissioner Michel Florio, initiated a new proceeding to, “create a consistent regulatory framework for the guidance, planning, and evaluation of integrated demand side resource programs.”

EDF would like to make sure the CPUC advances the following outcomes, as stated in our formal comments, as this proceeding moves forward:

1. Ensure Californians are an integral part of the solution. Resources on the customer side of the meter should be given due consideration and incentivized by properly structured rates and ensuring these customer-side resources are properly valued.
2. Target demand-side resources geographically. The CPUC should focus on the placement of demand-side resources where they will have the most benefit – i.e., in those areas hit hardest by air pollution. This will ensure communities historically and disproportionately burdened by dirty air benefit from these improvements.
3. Consider how to link utility revenues to the outcomes California wants. Rather than allowing cost recovery as a matter of course, the CPUC should develop principles for a utility business model that rewards utilities and Californians for integrating cost-saving, well-targeted demand-side measures on both sides of the meter. Successful resources will be those that contribute to the reliable operation of the grid and advance state environmental goals, such as AB 32 (California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a landmark piece of legislation that set an absolute, state-wide limit on greenhouse gas emissions) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
4. Link closely with distribution and reliability planning. By requiring the consideration of demand-side resources in utility planning, the CPUC can help to defer or avoid the need for more costly or environmentally damaging investments.

This new effort by the CPUC is a terrific opportunity for more coordinated, cost-effective deployment of demand-side resources that can better address California’s energy needs, improve customer choice, and reduce carbon pollution from our energy system. It’s a chance to make real, lasting change in California. Similar to the transformative effect “Beatlemania” had on music and popular culture, California’s clean energy policies can transform how we make, move, and use electricity.

By Larissa Koehler

Ask most people what the Beatles and California have in common and they might very well be at a loss. However, the answer is pretty simple: they are both unabashed trendsetters in the face of resistance – the former in their musical style and the latter in its clean energy policies.

Not content with setting a Renewable Portfolio Standard that ends at 2020, Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are pushing for the Golden State to get 50 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

To meet this ambitious target, California must build a system that is largely based on renewable electricity, like wind and solar. This is not an easy task. The primary reason? Sunshine and wind are only available at certain times of the day and can be variable during those times.

Traditionally, managers of the electricity grid have relied upon dirty “peaker” power plants – usually coal-fired and only needed a couple of days a year – to balance the grid during periods of variability or when electricity demand exceeds supply. But, in a world where 50 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources as a means to achieving a clean energy economy, we can’t rely on these dirty peaker plants to balance the variability of wind and solar.

Luckily, technology is available today that can help fill the gap of these peaker plants – and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is starting to embrace it.

This technology, also known as demand-side resources, is defined by the CPUC as:

• Energy efficiency
• Demand response, an energy conservation tool that pays customers to save energy when the grid is stressed
• Distributed generation, like rooftop solar PV
• Energy storage, including electric vehicle batteries
• Smart grid, which utilizes technologies like two way programmable thermostats, to gather energy use information to improve efficiency and enable other resources like demand response
• Water-energy measures, which address the inextricable effect of water use on energy use, and vice-versa
• Strategic electricity rate design, such as time-of-use pricing, a voluntary program that enables people to choose when they power up appliances based on electricity prices and make decisions that can both save them money and reduce harmful pollution

By encouraging customers to use energy more wisely through demand-side resources like these, utility companies can avoid the need to produce more energy as the state’s population increases. This will also cut down on infrastructure costs, as fewer power plants and transmission lines will need to be built, and those savings can be passed on to customers. Further, by leveraging the ability of electric vehicles to charge at times when there is an abundance of clean power available, as well as distributed generation, California will be able to use increasing amounts of renewable energy.

Currently, there are a number of these innovative, demand-side solutions available in California. In order to bring them together, the CPUC, under the direction of Commissioner Michel Florio, initiated a new proceeding to, “create a consistent regulatory framework for the guidance, planning, and evaluation of integrated demand side resource programs.”

EDF would like to make sure the CPUC advances the following outcomes, as stated in our formal comments, as this proceeding moves forward:

1. Ensure Californians are an integral part of the solution. Resources on the customer side of the meter should be given due consideration and incentivized by properly structured rates and ensuring these customer-side resources are properly valued.
2. Target demand-side resources geographically. The CPUC should focus on the placement of demand-side resources where they will have the most benefit – i.e., in those areas hit hardest by air pollution. This will ensure communities historically and disproportionately burdened by dirty air benefit from these improvements.
3. Consider how to link utility revenues to the outcomes California wants. Rather than allowing cost recovery as a matter of course, the CPUC should develop principles for a utility business model that rewards utilities and Californians for integrating cost-saving, well-targeted demand-side measures on both sides of the meter. Successful resources will be those that contribute to the reliable operation of the grid and advance state environmental goals, such as AB 32 (California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a landmark piece of legislation that set an absolute, state-wide limit on greenhouse gas emissions) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
4. Link closely with distribution and reliability planning. By requiring the consideration of demand-side resources in utility planning, the CPUC can help to defer or avoid the need for more costly or environmentally damaging investments.

This new effort by the CPUC is a terrific opportunity for more coordinated, cost-effective deployment of demand-side resources that can better address California’s energy needs, improve customer choice, and reduce carbon pollution from our energy system. It’s a chance to make real, lasting change in California. Similar to the transformative effect “Beatlemania” had on music and popular culture, California’s clean energy policies can transform how we make, move, and use electricity.

Written by Molly Rauch

Last month, after product testing more than 160 dollar store items, it was revealed that high levels of toxic chemicals were in 81% of the products. The chemicals of concern included: lead, brominated flame retardants, phthalates banned in children’s products, and polyvinyl chloride, or PVC – are linked to a variety of health problems, such as asthma, birth defects, learning difficulties, diabetes, and cancer.

Despite requests from parents, advocates, and health experts from across the country to commit to eliminating toxic chemicals from their products, the CEOs of top discount retailer chains Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar General have not budged.

In this new video, Jennifer Beals explains why that’s not ok with her. “I’m fortunate that I can choose to shop at different stores,” she says, “but many dollar store customers don’t have that luxury.”

In many communities, dollar stores are the only retail option. “It’s not simply a toxic chemicals issue,” says Beals. “It’s a social justice issue.”

Add your voice to the chorus of parents calling on discount retailers to protect our families.


TELL YOUR SENATORS: PROTECT OUR HEALTH FROM TOXIC CHEMICAL EXPOSURES





Written by Dr. Karen Lee

Members of my family suffer from allergies. My husband has had allergies for years and my children started showing to have symptoms when they were toddlers. It’s not easy trying to care for them when there are so many contributing factors. We try to eat healthy and exercise, avoid allergic foods, eliminate toxic chemicals, and air pollutants to reduce their symptoms. We use humidifiers in their rooms during winter and dehumidifiers in the basement in the summer. We’ve added electrostatic air cleaning filters in the whole house HVAC system – and when their allergies didn’t seem to get better, we tried several types of portable air cleaners in individual rooms.

Air pollution is one of the main allergy and asthma triggers. Unfortunately, our best efforts of using various air cleaning methods to control indoor pollution didn’t make a significant difference. After doing some research, I found out why.

WHERE DOES INDOOR AIR POLLUTION COME FROM?

According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution is among the top five causes for environmental health problems. Indoor air pollutants mainly consist of particulate matter - dust, smoke, animal dander, pollen (brought in from outside) particles generated from operating appliances like cooking stoves, HVAC units, ashes from fireplaces, dust mites, molds, bacteria and virus. Gaseous pollutants come from combustion of gas stoves, car exhaust (from attached garages), tobacco smoke, off gassing of toxic chemicals from furniture, upholstery or fabric, glue, paints, furniture finishes, cleaning products, and pesticides. Both types can be reduced to some degree by using air filters or purifiers but different types of removal methods have varying degrees of success, if at all.

AIR CLEANING SYSTEMS ~ reviewed here at the New York Times:

1.  Mechanical air filters – remove particles by circulating the air in the room and by capturing the particles on the filter materials. High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are in this category. HEPA is commonly used in vacuum cleaners and whole house air filtration systems. The problems with any mechanical filters are that they may not be efficiently filtering the amount of polluted air.
2. Electronic air cleaners – use electrostatic attraction to trap charged particles and then accumulate on their flat surface plates. These filters are usually installed in HVAC systems, but there are a few portable systems that use this technology. The problem with these units are that they use high voltage to penetrate ionized fields producing ozone, which is lung irritant.
3. Gas-phase air filters – gaseous pollutants are usually filtered using absorbing elements like activated carbon. Although some gas-phase filters may remove specific pollutants from indoor air, none is expected to adequately remove all of the gaseous pollutants in a typical home. Carbon monoxide, for example, is not readily contained by absorption and furthermore, there is concern that saturated filters may release trapped pollutants back into the air. Most gaseous pollutant removal filters are elaborate and not used in residential systems.
4. Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Cleaners (UVGI) – use ultraviolet lamps to kill airborne biological pollutants or on the moist areas like HVAC surfaces. But typical UVGI cleaners used in homes have limited effectiveness in killing bacteria and molds. In order for this system to be effective, UV exposure needs to be much higher than what home unit provides. There are also concerns of growth of microorganisms on the system; the spreading of microorganisms can occur during filter change – mold spores on the filters can be released back to the airstream during sudden airstream change.
5. Photocatalytic Oxidation Cleaners – manufacturers and vendors claim these filter systems eliminate particles, tobacco smoke, microorganisms and other indoor particles by converting them into harmless by-products. But the fact is, these pollutants are not removed from the environment. It actually creates ozone as a by-product, which is lung irritant. Ozone can can trigger asthma attacks, coughing, chest discomfort, irritation of the respiratory tract. The technology is still in its infancy for residential use for removing contaminants because available photocatalysis are ineffective. For it to be used effectively in a home setting, application issues like requiring large amount of energy, and complexity engineering design need to be resolved.

Importantly, air filters are not regulated by FDA. Vendors and manufacturers of air filtering units, portable or whole house, can describe the technology and spell out all the engineering specs, but they cannot prove health benefits.

HOW TO ACHIEVE CLEANER INDOOR AIR WITHOUT USING AIR FILTERS

According to EPA, the best way to minimize the risk of indoor air pollution is to control the source of the pollution. Some air cleaning methods might help in reducing some of the harmful pollutants, but EPA cautions: they many not help in decreasing adverse health effects.

How do you achieve cleaner indoor air? Here are a few steps.

1. Ventilate and bring clean air in to replace the polluted indoor air.
2. Do not wear shoes inside. Leave dust and chemicals outside the home.
3. Encase the mattress and pillow in allergy proof cases to minimize dust mites.
4. Vacuum and wet mop floors regularly. Large particles like animal dander and pollen are heavy and fall to the surface.
5. Install wood floors instead of carpet which can trap particles.
6. Wash linens and bedding regularly.
7. Clean cat litter box regularly.
8. Do not smoke.
9. Do not burn food.
10. Do not burn wood. Gas fireplaces are better, but check the chimney to make sure it’s well ventilated.
11. Use low VOC paints, furniture with safe varnishes, non-toxic cleaners, upholstery furniture without flame retardants, and non-toxic personal care products
12. Keep windows closed during high seasonal allergy season.
13. Control moisture level to prevent mold.


TELL EPA TO PROTECT LITTLE LUNGS FROM SMOG





Oil-flushing Mississippi River pulse also boosted coastal wetland production
By Jeff Gillies, Environmental Monitor. March 05, 2015
“The baldcypress trees in one patch of Louisiana wetlands thrived following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a new study. A strategy to release extra water from the Mississippi River to push oil away from the coast mimicked a tactic that conservationists hope could slow the loss of coastal wetlands.” (Read More)

Oil-flushing Mississippi River pulse also boosted coastal wetland production
By Jeff Gillies, Environmental Monitor. March 05, 2015
“The baldcypress trees in one patch of Louisiana wetlands thrived following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a new study. A strategy to release extra water from the Mississippi River to push oil away from the coast mimicked a tactic that conservationists hope could slow the loss of coastal wetlands.” (Read More)

Oil-flushing Mississippi River pulse also boosted coastal wetland production
By Jeff Gillies, Environmental Monitor. March 05, 2015
“The baldcypress trees in one patch of Louisiana wetlands thrived following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a new study. A strategy to release extra water from the Mississippi River to push oil away from the coast mimicked a tactic that conservationists hope could slow the loss of coastal wetlands.” (Read More)

Written by Dominique Browning

Formaldehyde is classified as a “known carcinogen.” But that doesn’t make it illegal to use. Formaldehyde is in all kinds of products we take into our homes, from the no-iron coating of threads in our clothes to the glues holding wood together in our floors to the shampoos we slather in our hair.
 
We’re exposed to toxic chemicals every day — and day after day. Even if the exposure is tiny, it accumulates over time. Our babies and our teenagers, whose brains and bodies are still developing, are exposed to carcinogens, to endocrine disrupters, and to asthma triggers. Every. Single. Day.
 
That’s because the chemical industry operates under a weak chemical safety law that has not been changed in over 40 years.
 
Right now, Senators are discussing how to reform that law. We applaud a bipartisan effort. But we need to know that any new law improves public health protections, closes loopholes that favor industry over health, and keeps toxic chemicals out of our homes.
 
Let’s get this job done, so that yet another generation of children isn’t exposed to dangerous chemicals.
 
I’m tired of being a walking guinea pig. Tired of wondering why so many of my friends have breast cancer. Tired of wondering why it is up to me — as a consumer — to protect myself by avoiding chemicals, when I can’t even find out what’s in the stuff I buy.
 
That’s why I am asking my Senators to insist on a bill that truly protects me and my family. One that keeps “known carcinogens” out of our cribs.

Please, write your Senators today. Let them know that it’s time for strong reform.


TELL YOUR SENATORS: PROTECT OUR HEALTH FROM TOXIC CHEMICAL EXPOSURES





Carbon credits could generate $1.6 billion for Louisiana coastal restoration, study says
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. March 05, 2015
“Louisiana could earn up to $1.6 billion for coastal restoration projects over the next 50 years by selling credits for storing carbon in wetland plants and soils, according to a new study by New Orleans-based Tierra Resources, Entergy Corp. and the ClimateTrust.” (Read More)

Is BP responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 dolphins along the Gulf coast? (Audio)
By Laine Kaplan-Levenson, WWNO. March 05, 2015
“A report published last month found that an unusually high number of bottlenose dolphins have been dying all along the Gulf Coast since February 2010. This unusual mortality event, or UME, began two months before the 2010 BP oil spill, but groups including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the spill is responsible for the continued die-off of this species.” (Read More)

Gulf of Mexico turns deadly for dolphins
By Rachel Nuwer, The New York Times. March 02, 2015
“Some injuries, including lung and adrenal lesions, observed in 2011 in live dolphins examined in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay were consistent with exposure to petroleum products.” (Read More)

Carbon credits could generate $1.6 billion for Louisiana coastal restoration, study says
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. March 05, 2015
“Louisiana could earn up to $1.6 billion for coastal restoration projects over the next 50 years by selling credits for storing carbon in wetland plants and soils, according to a new study by New Orleans-based Tierra Resources, Entergy Corp. and the ClimateTrust.” (Read More)

Is BP responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 dolphins along the Gulf coast? (Audio)
By Laine Kaplan-Levenson, WWNO. March 05, 2015
“A report published last month found that an unusually high number of bottlenose dolphins have been dying all along the Gulf Coast since February 2010. This unusual mortality event, or UME, began two months before the 2010 BP oil spill, but groups including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the spill is responsible for the continued die-off of this species.” (Read More)

Gulf of Mexico turns deadly for dolphins
By Rachel Nuwer, The New York Times. March 02, 2015
“Some injuries, including lung and adrenal lesions, observed in 2011 in live dolphins examined in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay were consistent with exposure to petroleum products.” (Read More)

Carbon credits could generate $1.6 billion for Louisiana coastal restoration, study says
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. March 05, 2015
“Louisiana could earn up to $1.6 billion for coastal restoration projects over the next 50 years by selling credits for storing carbon in wetland plants and soils, according to a new study by New Orleans-based Tierra Resources, Entergy Corp. and the ClimateTrust.” (Read More)

Is BP responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 dolphins along the Gulf coast? (Audio)
By Laine Kaplan-Levenson, WWNO. March 05, 2015
“A report published last month found that an unusually high number of bottlenose dolphins have been dying all along the Gulf Coast since February 2010. This unusual mortality event, or UME, began two months before the 2010 BP oil spill, but groups including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the spill is responsible for the continued die-off of this species.” (Read More)

Gulf of Mexico turns deadly for dolphins
By Rachel Nuwer, The New York Times. March 02, 2015
“Some injuries, including lung and adrenal lesions, observed in 2011 in live dolphins examined in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay were consistent with exposure to petroleum products.” (Read More)

Written by Ronnie Citron-Fink

Cambridge City Councillor Dennis Carlone poses with members of Mothers Out Front following their testimony in support of terminating the city’s contract with TransCanada. Photo: Dennis Carlone blog

Last month, the President’s veto to block the Keystone XL oil pipeline wasn’t the only blow to TransCanada Corporation. A group of mothers and grandmothers from Mothers Out Front inspired the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts to send the energy giant a strong message that parents demand clean energy. With the approval of an order to terminate the City’s relationship with TransCanada, Cambridge will look to identify a new supplier to provide up to 100% renewable energy for all municipal operations.

According to this EcoWatch post:

“The policy order came out of a series of discussions Carlone had with Mothers Out Front, a two-year-old Cambridge-based grassroots advocacy group describing themselves as “mothers, grandmothers, and other caregivers who can no longer be silent and still about the very real danger that climate change poses to our children’s and grandchildren’s future.” The group provided testimony at city council on behalf of the resolution.

“Our organization has a strategy for creating a clean energy future but we need your help,” said Beth Adams, the mother of two young boys, in her testimony. “We are working on the ground to get individuals to weatherize their homes, conserve their energy and to switch to clean electricity. My family has made the switch, along with 100 other people in Cambridge including councillor Carlone. I am here tonight to ask for more bold climate action and leadership from the city of Cambridge to help us ensure a livable climate for our children and for future generations.”

This policy order was the product of a series of discussions that Councillor Carlone had with members of Mothers Out Front, a promising new advocacy group that formed in Cambridge and is now expanding to other municipalities and states. Additional information about this order was posted to Councillor Carlone’s blog last month, click here for that report. And posted above is a video featuring powerful public testimony and council discussion on the matter.“

Moms Clean Air Force applauds partner, Mothers Out Front, for their hard work and dedication to preserving a safe future for children. Thank you Mothers Out Front for reminding our legislators and the power industry to never ever underestimate the power of moms!


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