Also find articles about recycle, reduce and reuse by Lesley Haynes on our Recycle page
Buffalo News: New program makes it cheaper for Amherst residents to ‘go solar’, by Joseph Popiolkowski, June 25, 2017
New York Times: Even as Wind Power Rises, It Falls Under a Political Cloud, by Diane Cardwell, May 30, 2017
Buffalo News, The News In Brief: Grand Island board approves solar generation power plant, by Nancy A. Fischer June 23, 2017
Buffalo News Letter: Path to clean energy will not be reversed, by Pat Townsend, June 16, 2017
RSN (Reader Supported News): Historic Win in Colorado Fracking Lawsuit, by Our Children’s Trust, March 25, 2017
Buffalo News: Robinson: New York looks at a new way to value solar power, by David Robinson, March 17, 2017
New York Times, Wind power surpasses hydroelectric in a crucial measure, by Diane Cardwell, February 9, 2017
Buffalo News: Solar industry hiring stalls in New York, by David Robinson, February 7, 2017
Buffalo News: Tonawanda looks to tighten wind energy and cell tower regulations, by Nancy Fischer, February 2, 2017
Buffalo News: Williamsville to track energy use in municipal buildings, by Joseph Papiolkowski, February 1, 2017
Buffalo News: Germany shows we can transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, by Richard Lipsitz and Rebecca Newberry, February 2, 2017
Buffalo News: Tesla motors gets a new name, by David Robinson, February 1, 2017
Buffalo News: Fossil fuel pipeline projects are misguided and dangerous, by Agnes Williams and Victoria Ross, January 30, 2017
New York Times: Tesla gives the California power grid a battery boost, by Diane Cardwell, January 30, 2017
New York Times: Americas heartland discussing climate change without saying climate change, by Hiroko Tabushi, January 28, 2017
Buffalo News: Company wants to build 18 acre solar farm on Grand Island, By Nancy Fischer, January 24, 2017
New York Times: Off Long Island wind power tests the waters, Diane Cardwell, January 21, 2017
New York Times: As U.S. cedes leadership on climate others step up at Davos, Hiroko Tabuchi, January 21, 2017
Buffalo News: Plans for zero net energy building in Lackawanna advance, By David Robinson, December 22, 2016
Buffalo News: Collins should work for us not the rich and powerful, By Peter Ewing, December 14, 2016
Buffalo News: Northern access pipeline could endanger water supply for thousands, By Lia Oprea and Ronald Fraser, December 14, 2016
Buffalo News: Winds of discontent blow over Lake Ontario towns eyed for turbines, By Derek Gee, November 27, 2016
Buffalo News: Price of Teslas solar shingles may not be through the roof, By David Robinson, November 18, 2016
Renewable Energy World: Bicycle friendly Amsterdam aims for clean transport smarter buildings and a circular economy, By John J. Berger, November 17, 2016
Buffalo News: Solar City Tesla merger solidifies Riverbend, By David Robinson, November 17, 2016
Renewable Energy World: Americans are optimistic but not quite right, By Andy Beck, November 15, 2016
Washington Post: Trump victory reverses US energy and environmental priorities, By Steve Mufson and Brady Dennis, November 9, 2016
National Geographic: Animals eat ocean plastic because it smells like food, By Laura Parker, November 9, 2016
Buffalo News: Trumps election could affect Solar City, By David Robinson, November 9, 2016
New York Times: Big oil slowly adapts to a warming world, By Clifford Krauss, November 7, 2016
Observer Today: Arkwright wind tower project nears, November 6, 2016
Buffalo News: Wind power developer sues Somerset over project delay, By Thomas Prohaska, November 4, 2016
Readers Supported News: Worlds first zero emissions hydrogen train unveiled in Germany, By Lorraine Chow, November 3, 2016
Bloomberg: Millions in cash burned on one war over rooftop solar panels, By Mark Chediak and James Nash, November 2, 2016
Buffalo News: New solar roof a high stakes gamble for Tesla Solar City venture, By David Robinson October 29, 2016
Buffalo News: Air Force officer debunks claim that wind turbines endanger Niagara Falls base, October 29, 2016
New York Times: Vermont wind project needs support so company offers to pay voters, October 15, 2016
New York Times: Emerging climate accord could push ac out of sweltering Indias reach, October 15, 2016
Palm Beach Post: Florida voters to decide utility – backed solar energy amendment By Susan Salisbury, October 15, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: Kudos to Lakota Nation for trying to halt pipeline By Ellen Banks, October 5, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: A Trump presidency will hurt environment – By Mark LeCroix, September 28, 2016
Buffalo News Business Section: The latest thing in clean energy: turning heavy traffic into clean energy on the peace bridge – By David Robinson, September 26, 2016
New York Times Business Section: A new debate over pricing the risks of climate change – By Hiroko Tabucchi and Clifford Kraus, September 26, 2016
Buffalo News Business Section: Musk to unveil solar city roofing product next month By David Robinson, September 23, 2016
Take Part Editorial: The tide is turning for a new source of green energy – By Taylor Hill, Digital Media, September 1, 2016
Reader Supported News: Top 5 Green Energy Good News Stories Today – by Juan Cole, July 3, 2016
Los Angeles Times: Why California Is Lagging Behind the Rest of the Country When It Comes to Offshore Wind Farms – by Rob Nikolewski, July 4, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: It is never too late to learn all about climate change By Rabbi Judy Weiss Volunteer Member Citizens Climate Lobby Co-Leader, Boston Chapter, June 7, 2016
Buffalo News Another Voice: New York is leading the way on climate change – Opinion By Lynda Schneekloth, June 5, 2016
Sun Journal Editorial: Don’t be shortsighted on renewable energy – June 2, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: Wind Farm will not hurt training at Falls air base By Charley Bowman, May 17, 2016
Buffalo News Another Voice: Offshore wind is part of the clean energy future By Ellen Banks, May 5/4/2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: Opposing wind energy is not a sensible stance By Matt Clabeaux, April 8, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: Transport of Bakken crude places environment at risk By Charley Bowman, March 14, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Letter: Candidates must address realities of climate change By John S. Szalasny, February 14, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: Burning of fossil fuels is heating up our planet By David Kowalski, February 12, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: State is on the right track in pursuing clean energy By Ellen C. Banks, February 6, 2016
Buffalo News Another Voice: Failure to reduce our use of oil is a selfish act By David Baker, February 4, 2016
Buffalo News Opinion: NFTA should consider electric-powered buses By Robert Ciesielski, October 2, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion: Join Niagara Square rally to address climate change By Richard Steinberg, September 22, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion: We need to embrace clean energy sources By Bill Nowak, September 20, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion: Turbines won’t destroy life along Lake Ontario By Larry Beahan, September 20, 2015
The Pope’s Encyclical is drawing worldwide attention to the climate crisis. Here in Buffalo, writers have been busy adding their voices and calling for action. Thank you to these writers and to the Buffalo News for publishing their work.
Buffalo News Opinion: Pope is exactly right on environmental point By Lucille Gervase, August 4, 2015
Buffalo News Another Voice: We should heed counsel of the pope By Judy Fitzgerald, July 28, 2015
Buffalo News Nature Watch: We must take seriously the threat of global warming by Gerry Rising, July 19, 2015
Buffalo News Another Voice: Pope Francis puts his weight behind a call for swift action on climate change By Robert M. Ciesielski, chairman of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter’s Energy Committee, July 20, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Let’s pay attention to pope’s wise words By Mary Herbst, July 4, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: We need to take care of global community By Sister M. Jean Sliwinski, July 4, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: World should embrace Pope Francis’ message By Mary O’Herron, July 3, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Let’s heed pope’s call and protect our planet By Ann Craven, July 1, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Pope’s message on climate justice is encouraging but incomplete By Jim Mang, June 29, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: It is important to talk about the pope’s message By Roger Cook, June 28, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Pope’s encyclical on environment deserves plaudits, more coverage By Neil A. Walkowski, June 27, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Try reading the encyclical before passing judgment By Sister Sharon Goodremote, FSSJ, June 26, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Pope’s message inspires us to make the world better By Sister Eileen O’Connor, June 25, 2015
Buffalo News Opinion Letter: Pope’s message can influence us to do better in small ways By Daniel Cimino, June 24, 2015
Buffalo News Another Voice: Pope’s encyclical resonates with people of other faith By Patricia K. Townsend, June 21, 2015
Pope Francis, in sweeping encyclical, calls for swift action on climate change By Jim Yardley and Laurie Goodstein – NEW YORK TIMES Published in Buffalo News World and Nation, June 18, 2015
The Buffalo News Opinion
Letter: Although it’s cold here, planet is still warming March 1, 2015
The front-page illustration titled “The big chill” in The News on Feb. 20 was an eye-catching reminder of the extremely cold temperatures we experienced at the beginning of 2015. January’s high temperatures of all but seven of the days were below the long-term average, as were all but two of the 20 days in February thus far.
Some may interpret such extended cold spells as evidence against global warming. However, that view is incorrect.
Global warming is assessed by measuring temperatures at numerous locations on land around the world as well as in the oceans that make up more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface. Measurements are made over time and the global average temperature is determined.
The Buffalo area comprises only a tiny fraction of the surface of the globe, and so local temperatures make only a small contribution to the global average temperature.
Despite the local “big chill,” the planet continued to warm in January. In fact, the global average temperature was the second-highest since records began in 1880, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This finding follows in the wake of 2014 as the hottest year on record and the 38th consecutive year of above-average global temperatures.
NOAA displayed its global analysis of January temperatures on a world map showing that the New York State region, including Buffalo, was “cooler than average.” In contrast, however, the Western United States and even parts of Alaska showed above-average warming, as did most other regions on land and in oceans around the globe.
NOAA’s map can be viewed at http://www.1.usa.gov/1LyVEXt.
David Kowalski, Snyder
The Buffalo News Opinion
Letter: Let’s all make an effort to reduce global warming March 1, 2015
As a child, I can recall that unless one was a farmer or a sailing enthusiast, talk of the weather was “small talk,” never much more than a way to hold a polite yet impersonal conversation. Today, dangerous record-setting cold temperatures, like those experienced now in Western New York and throughout our nation, have made weather a serious topic of conversation.
The vast majority of scientists and climatologists have accepted that unstable and destructive weather is the result of massive, unprecedented emissions of fossil fuel byproducts into the Earth’s atmosphere.
In light of this, the old expression, “everyone talks about the weather, but nobody can do anything about it,” might have been true once, but the opportunity exists for us to do something about it now. Although the problem of global warming seems huge, complicated and overwhelming, if small and incremental changes are adopted by large numbers of people, those small incremental changes will begin to make a very significant impact.
Individuals and institutions can reduce their contribution of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane by switching to cleaner alternative energy sources for electricity. This timely message arrives in the form of the Solutions Grassroots Tour: “A Solar Home Companion,” an old-fashioned variety show that informs the audience how to choose renewable energy sources. Conceived and directed by Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Josh Fox, the show will be in Buffalo tonight, sponsored by some of the many activist groups that are working to support renewable energy and to minimize the catastrophes caused by an unstable climate.
Joan Hyman
Buffalo
The Buffalo News Opinion Thursday February 19, 2015
Judy Fitzgerald: I’ll show my grandson world’s lovely treasures
I always heard becoming a grandmother was special, and based on personal experience, it’s true! That little person brings out so much love in a family.
I was surprised at the almost primitive connection that I felt with my daughter during those first few days that were exhausting, deep and demanding. I guess you would say they were intense, and I wouldn’t have traded them for anything, not even a good night’s sleep.
Memories of my daughter’s birth came flooding back to me as I watched in awe as she became a mother with such grace and strength it was as if she was born for that role. I was moved by the love that my daughter and son-in-law share, which kept them going throughout it all. There were so many unexpected and treasured gifts.
I can’t help but muse about this precious little boy. What will he be like? Looking at his beautiful porcelain face – no angel could be more lovely – takes my breath away.
It is hard to remember that we all started out like this, each and every one of us. If only I could always remember that.
What can I give to him? From my new vantage point, I’m supposed to be able to give him the benefit of my many years of experience. Aren’t elders supposed to be full of wisdom?
The funny part is, as I grow older, I feel I understand less than I did when I was a child. So maybe it’s best to start way back there. I remember that I spent a lot of time in an imaginary world where I could do anything or be anyone I wanted to be – and it changed frequently.
I had so many friends: my dog, the trees, the birds and so many others. I was surrounded by companions who loved life as much as I did. There were no boundaries in those days and looking at the sky proved that. And I had so much time. It seemed like everyone else, especially my mother and father, were always so busy.
One thing I am sure of. Nature is the best teacher of awesome mysteries and therein lies the wisdom. I must do what I can to help my grandson celebrate and appreciate this beautiful world.
His task will be to become aware of life’s precious and fragile beauty and to learn that he must do what he can to protect and live in harmony with all of life. I want to take him out into the backyard and show him how it is teeming with all forms of life so he will know he is never really alone. We can join life through play and be thankful for the shade of the trees on a hot summer day.
In the meantime, while he is growing into himself, I need to stand up and say no to those who see our home and its resources and treasures primarily to be bought and sold with disregard for the consequences to the Earth and all of us. Our children and our grandchildren need us to protect their legacy and to teach them to treat every living thing on this planet with respect and love.
Grandparents do have a special place in the scheme of things, because they know without the living Earth, there will be no life.
I want to teach my grandson what all generations need to know: We have a sacred obligation to pass on what we have been so graciously given. Without taking a stand now, that will not be possible.
The Buffalo News Another Voice: PSC offers only a weak opportunity to influence big change in power systems
Published: January 27, 2015
By Larry Beahan
Have you heard of the “REV”? It is a revolution in the supply and regulation of New York’s energy. It is a dramatic and fundamental change and it is a dirty shame that most New Yorkers have never heard of it. REV stands for the NY Public Service Commission’s initiative, Reforming the Energy Vision.
When my mother was 5 in 1911, a man came to the front door. “Do you folks want electricity?” he asked. She said “no,” and shut the door. Grandma overheard and rushed after him to have gas lights replaced with Edison bulbs. Tesla and Westinghouse had built an electric power plant at Niagara Falls and formed a company that shipped power by wire all over the region.
That basic model for electric power is still with us. Investor-owned utilities produce electricity in large central plants with hydro, coal, natural gas and nuclear energy and transmit it to consumers over a complex grid. Doing an affordable and reliable job of it is an increasingly complex puzzle.
Power plants and their transmission systems are aging and energy demands are rising. Unusual weather creates demand peaks. Plants are prime terrorist targets, and fossil fuels have filled the air with pollution and the skies with global warming gasses.
In response, we have shifted away from central sources of power and moved to windmills, solar panels and geothermal installations that are widely distributed and close to consumers. These renewable energy sources don’t pollute or cause global warming. But they raise questions. Who will own them? How will they be paid for? How will they be integrated into a mutually supportive system?
Last April the Public Service Commission issued orders for the REV initiative. The commission staff went to work chiefly with utility company executives to answer these and many related questions. It has come up with a “straw proposal,” a complex technical document that needs an engineer with training in linguistics to understand.
On the insistence of environmental organizations, the PSC has agreed to hold six forums across the state where the REV will be explained and the rest of us will have two minutes before a microphone to make our contributions.
This scanty opportunity to be involved in a titanic change in the power supply to our civilization is a travesty. Tesla’s salesman offered my poor mother as much in 1911.
New Yorkers deserve to thoroughly understand what is being proposed and how it will affect our lives. We deserve an opportunity to have our own experts contribute to the design of a distributive power system for the 21st century.
The Public Service Commission hearings on the REV in Buffalo are at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday in the Central Library in downtown Buffalo.
Larry Beahan is habitat chairman of the Sierra Club Niagara Group.
The Buffalo News Opinion
Letter: Keep the public engaged in Outer Harbor planning
Published: January 24, 2015
“New Outer Harbor plan to be aired after input” was a very welcome development to the diverse public constituencies that have been following and participating in the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. planning process this last year.
The inclusion of Terminals A and B at the south end of the site is welcomed and changes the dynamics by including a commitment to start with the development of those existing facilities. ECHDC’s comment, “we’re listening to their [environmental community] concerns,” is greatly appreciated and the Western New York Environmental Alliance looks forward to the next steps.
ECHDC Chairman Robert Gioia also sings the praises of the recently opened Canalside and we agree. It’s hard to believe that there was a time in the not-too-distant past when this community was very close to leaving the actual canal covered in asphalt and nearly dropped a giant big-box store where the ice rink now resides.
In fact, if not for the tenacity, insight and leadership of community members who pushed a higher vision of what we could achieve together, we would have a very different outcome. It was the collective wisdom of our citizens that demanded the best and most respectful use of this prime urban waterfront that is responsible for the great asset we have today.
We hope the robust public engagement model that resuscitated Canalside can now be applied to the Outer Harbor process, because it will pay dividends well into the future and ensure that it truly becomes everybody’s waterfront.
Lynda Schneekloth
Advocacy Chairwoman
WNY Environmental Alliance
The Buffalo News
Another Voice: Movement will restore a deep connection to the Earth
January 8, 2015, 12:01 AM
By Lynda Schneekloth
Across the globe, the people are stirring – moving, resisting and creating. Whether the issue is climate change or gun violence or civil rights, immigration or gay rights or clean water, food security or nuclear disarmament or war – the people are stirring.
Each of these issues seems disconnected and random, because there is no overall agenda. But note, this is the largest movement in human history, a movement without a name and with thousands of leaders, as noted by Paul Hawken in “Blessed Unrest.”
Each issue has discrete goals, but all are a collective rejection of the false promises of an industrialized extractive-based lifestyle. People no longer believe in human superiority, technological salvation and an economy that benefits a few at the expense of the many and of the earth itself. It is the deep acknowledgement of what the Occupy Movement articulated – we are the 99 percent.
And we are here. And we are now. We watch as the mythic structure of modernity caves upon itself and we hear the earth screaming under our assault. The people have had enough.
We will not be pawns, we will not stand quietly at the bottom of the “trickle,” because we know there is abundance to be shared. We will not let anyone destroy the base of life on earth or deny the dignity of each human life. “Black lives matter,” as do the lives of all humans, as well as our four-legged, winged, green and invisible kin. And so we take to the streets, to the courtrooms, to chambers of government, to the pulpit, to the coffee shops, to the village centers and urban squares in Ecuador, Mumbai, the Congo, New York, Durban and all over the world.
As Hawken said, “What I see are ordinary and some not-so-ordinary individuals willing to confront despair, power and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore some semblance of grace, justice and beauty to this world.”
Systems researcher professor Brad Werner of the University of California, San Diego, demonstrated it is only through “friction” in the form of a mass social movement against our current system that there is hope for the future. This movement, Naomi Klein said, will change everything, reinstitute democracy and restore a deep connection to the earth and all our kin. It appears to be time to step down from the pedestal of imaginary separation back to our roots, to the soil from whence we came. Come one, come all.
Join us in the Great Turning, from a death-centric to a life-regenerating vision for the 21st century. We’ve not much time and we need everyone. The people are too big to fail.
Lynda Schneekloth is chairwoman of the Sierra Club Niagara Group.
The Buffalo News Opinion Monday January 05, 2015
Letter: Area needs to invest in renewable energy
As he announced the ban on hydrofracking, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked: “What can we do in [the Southern Tier] to generate jobs, generate wealth … as an alternative to fracking?”
Two days later, the Energy Information Agency published the answer to Cuomo’s excellent question. The only energy sector experiencing job increases is renewable energy. Solar jobs are increasing annually at a rate of 57 percent, wind at 4.6 percent, biomass at 5.7 percent and geothermal at 2.6 percent. By contrast, fossil fuel, nuclear and hydro jobs are decreasing annually by an average of 1.5 percent.
The EIA report also suggests that converting coal plants to natural gas reduces jobs, thus adding to the mantra that natural gas is a gangplank to global warming, wasted investment and, now, the pink slip.
Cuomo needs to raise that gangplank and sail toward the sun, the wind and geothermal energy. For the first time in human existence, we no longer need to disembowel the earth for fuel, burn it to create electricity and leave toxic time bombs for current and future generations.
The cost of renewable fuels is absolutely zero, employment in renewable energy will be bountiful and the cost to ratepayers – forever – will be very low.
Charley Bowman
Chairman, Renewable Energy Task Force, WNY Peace Center
Letter: We must work together to reverse climate change
September 27, 2014 – 12:01 AM Buffalo News
Sobering! That’s my comment after attending the People’s Climate March in New York City. The enormity of why we were there was inescapable, at least to those attending. This march may have been motivated by a wish to impress upon the officials meeting at the United Nations this week that we are no longer willing to let them finesse their way out of taking action to protect us from the most enormous threat the world has ever known. The desperate need for each of us to seize the power that we still have came through loud and clear. Every day that we do not claim our rights as citizens of a democracy, we become less powerful. Each one of us who can hear and see has the power to begin reversing climate change, but only if we use it.
The United States, self-proclaimed leader of the world, has the responsibility to lead. We can criticize our elected officials for not doing something, not committing us to meaningful action like promoting a carbon tax or getting off of fossil fuels, but that is really passing the buck. They will act only when we demand serious, difficult decisions. Unless we wake up and look at the painful reality that we are in, they also will continue to avoid the painful decisions that must be made.
Science does not lie; the facts are in, we have no time to waste. The power that we have allowed to slip away can be taken back. The 310,000 people marching in New York and many more from all over the world took a dramatic step toward exercising that power.
The next time you are tempted to criticize our representatives inour democracy, keep in mind that their actions are the results of our abdication of power, like it or not. We cannot be successful unless we remember that we all got in this mess together, and together is the only way we will get out.
Judy Fitzgerald
Buffalo
