<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Obama pledges to use stimulus to make schools and public buildings more energy efficient]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Tom Philpott http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:56:35 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/1 Cafeteria kitchens

Any chance, as part of this worthy effort, the government will reinvest in cafeteria kitchens? Moe than half of public schools don;t have real kitchens -- just reheating facilities. And what's being reheated is abysmal on many levels, including ecological.

Victual Reality

]]> Cafeteria kitchens

Any chance, as part of this worthy effort, the government will reinvest in cafeteria kitchens? Moe than half of public schools don;t have real kitchens -- just reheating facilities. And what's being reheated is abysmal on many levels, including ecological.

Victual Reality

]]> Comment #2 by JMG http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:45:14 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/2 Reality-Based Community Rocks harder

Another great piece at Reality Based Community
http://is.gd/axgD

Michael O'Hare:


I think Mark is cutting Obama far too much slack on global warming. Habitability of the planet is not a lagniappe that might spiff up an economic stimulus. It's a very big deal, at least if you care about your grandchildren, not to mention the hundreds of millions of Bangla Deshis who will be on the road looking for a place to live in a crowded neighborhood, and sooner than we thought last year or the year before. Think this is bad?: imagine it in Dacca, and not for a day, but permanently.

Surely we can wait on something so big and so slow while we fix the economy, right? Nope; we already did that (wait), since the early eighties. Now it's an emergency. Expensive, though, right? Yup, we spent it for nothing in Iraq and frittered it away in stupid finance tricks, but Obama has to play the hand he was dealt, not the hand he deserves.

I have occasionally worried that for all his many merits, our new president is a senator from a corn state and a senator from a coal state. Not for long, and he didn't grow up there, but unfortunately simply ending the unspeakable irresponsibility of the Bush administration about climate is not enough. In particular, talking about roads and bridges in an infrastructure speech without a mention of transit or land use policy isn't in the ball park: it isn't "could be better"; it's flat-out wrong. We have a lot of bad infrastructure that makes us drive a lot of bad cars too much. We don't need to spend a penny on roads or anything to do with squeezing another few years out of the gasoline commuter lifestyle; we need to spend billions on undoing the damage it's already done, and now. Those unemployed hardhats can lay track and pave bike paths just as well as they can pour lane-miles.

I'm sorry to say, Obama has, on the whole, dropped the ball on climate change; he's not anti-science or anti-environment, but he's failing a big test here. I've wallowed in the pleasure of anticipating leadership from a basically serious person with his heart in the right place up to now, like the rest of us, but I am declaring the honeymoon over. From now on he needs to start saying what we need to hear on the biggest issue of the next couple of decades. "Better than Bush" encompasses a range from A down to D-, and on the environment, we need A- leadership, not a Band-Aid or a headpat. And we especially don't need enabling of a catastrophic carbon addiction, whether implicit or explicit.

All together now, and you too, Barack:
No.More.Roads.
No.More.Parking.
No.More.Sprawl.

The 5% Project Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.








]]> Reality-Based Community Rocks harder

Another great piece at Reality Based Community
http://is.gd/axgD

Michael O'Hare:


I think Mark is cutting Obama far too much slack on global warming. Habitability of the planet is not a lagniappe that might spiff up an economic stimulus. It's a very big deal, at least if you care about your grandchildren, not to mention the hundreds of millions of Bangla Deshis who will be on the road looking for a place to live in a crowded neighborhood, and sooner than we thought last year or the year before. Think this is bad?: imagine it in Dacca, and not for a day, but permanently.

Surely we can wait on something so big and so slow while we fix the economy, right? Nope; we already did that (wait), since the early eighties. Now it's an emergency. Expensive, though, right? Yup, we spent it for nothing in Iraq and frittered it away in stupid finance tricks, but Obama has to play the hand he was dealt, not the hand he deserves.

I have occasionally worried that for all his many merits, our new president is a senator from a corn state and a senator from a coal state. Not for long, and he didn't grow up there, but unfortunately simply ending the unspeakable irresponsibility of the Bush administration about climate is not enough. In particular, talking about roads and bridges in an infrastructure speech without a mention of transit or land use policy isn't in the ball park: it isn't "could be better"; it's flat-out wrong. We have a lot of bad infrastructure that makes us drive a lot of bad cars too much. We don't need to spend a penny on roads or anything to do with squeezing another few years out of the gasoline commuter lifestyle; we need to spend billions on undoing the damage it's already done, and now. Those unemployed hardhats can lay track and pave bike paths just as well as they can pour lane-miles.

I'm sorry to say, Obama has, on the whole, dropped the ball on climate change; he's not anti-science or anti-environment, but he's failing a big test here. I've wallowed in the pleasure of anticipating leadership from a basically serious person with his heart in the right place up to now, like the rest of us, but I am declaring the honeymoon over. From now on he needs to start saying what we need to hear on the biggest issue of the next couple of decades. "Better than Bush" encompasses a range from A down to D-, and on the environment, we need A- leadership, not a Band-Aid or a headpat. And we especially don't need enabling of a catastrophic carbon addiction, whether implicit or explicit.

All together now, and you too, Barack:
No.More.Roads.
No.More.Parking.
No.More.Sprawl.

The 5% Project Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.








]]> Comment #3 by eutopianow http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:51:10 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/3 Prisons

Not sure if public buildings includes jails, but if not this might be a good group of structures to add to the list.

]]> Prisons

Not sure if public buildings includes jails, but if not this might be a good group of structures to add to the list.

]]> Comment #4 by randino http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:07:09 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/4 Pardon my modesty

especially in light of the call to arms (which I agree with) of the Reality Based folks, but I would like to see one bit of symbolism that would not be wasted on the public.

I want Obama to put solar collectors on the White House. Originally installed as a symbol by Carter, and removed as a symbolic step by Reagan. Their return would be a clear message.

Randy Cunningham
Cleveland, OH

Randy Cunningham


]]> Pardon my modesty

especially in light of the call to arms (which I agree with) of the Reality Based folks, but I would like to see one bit of symbolism that would not be wasted on the public.

I want Obama to put solar collectors on the White House. Originally installed as a symbol by Carter, and removed as a symbolic step by Reagan. Their return would be a clear message.

Randy Cunningham
Cleveland, OH

Randy Cunningham


]]> Comment #5 by swan http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:49:05 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/5 Energy efficient and safe, too

May I suggest that we make these environmentally correct public buildings also environmentally safe for the human occupants? Toxic exposures from indoor air pollution caused by the use of pesticides, toxic cleaning products, formaldehyde offgassing, and unsafe building materials are a major health problem and a major source of the asthma epidemic among school age children.

It's not that hard - or expensive - to use safe materials. It just requires a change. Are we ready for that? I changed my household to non-toxic, unscented personal care products, cleaning products and pest control. I spend less money than I did on fancy, toxic products that were doing nothing but making me sick and lining some CEO's pocket - and my house is really clean. I'm also having fewer asthma attacks.

Some school districts and municipal buildings have already adopted a fragrance-free, pesticide-free, non-toxic policy (thank you, Massachusetts). This is a change that it is time for. If you want something that smells good, try really fresh, clean air. When is the last time you smelled that?

swan

http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

]]> Energy efficient and safe, too

May I suggest that we make these environmentally correct public buildings also environmentally safe for the human occupants? Toxic exposures from indoor air pollution caused by the use of pesticides, toxic cleaning products, formaldehyde offgassing, and unsafe building materials are a major health problem and a major source of the asthma epidemic among school age children.

It's not that hard - or expensive - to use safe materials. It just requires a change. Are we ready for that? I changed my household to non-toxic, unscented personal care products, cleaning products and pest control. I spend less money than I did on fancy, toxic products that were doing nothing but making me sick and lining some CEO's pocket - and my house is really clean. I'm also having fewer asthma attacks.

Some school districts and municipal buildings have already adopted a fragrance-free, pesticide-free, non-toxic policy (thank you, Massachusetts). This is a change that it is time for. If you want something that smells good, try really fresh, clean air. When is the last time you smelled that?

swan

http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

]]> Comment #6 by tmullins http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:52:58 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/6 Wise County, Virginia { KING COAL COUNTRY}

We are watching our mountains being decapitated, pillaged, pilfered and gouged to get every last drop of the coal to ship to China to power their country, yet here in Appalachia the schools are so old and outdated they can't even power their latest technology so our kids can compete on a global scale !  http://www.wisecountyissues.com
It's pure insanity !  Main Street Appalachia and Pound are Third World America thanks to Greed.

Hannity shut the fuck up !


]]> Wise County, Virginia { KING COAL COUNTRY}

We are watching our mountains being decapitated, pillaged, pilfered and gouged to get every last drop of the coal to ship to China to power their country, yet here in Appalachia the schools are so old and outdated they can't even power their latest technology so our kids can compete on a global scale !  http://www.wisecountyissues.com
It's pure insanity !  Main Street Appalachia and Pound are Third World America thanks to Greed.

Hannity shut the fuck up !


]]> Comment #7 by amylynn1022 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/ Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:27:38 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/schoolhouse-rocked/7 RE: Energy efficient and safe, too

I agree with swan--there needs to be some major retrofitting of school buildings just to make them fit for habitation.  Some of the most uncomfortable buildings I have been in have been schools.  While it might seem counter-intuitive in light of the push for energy efficiency, I would also like to see a push to require that classrooms have some minimum exposure to sunlight and fresh air.  Whatever toxics are in the buildings are only made worse when there is no air exchange with the outside.  And it's just depressing (clinically for some) not to see daylight for hours at a time.

AmyLynn

]]> RE: Energy efficient and safe, too

I agree with swan--there needs to be some major retrofitting of school buildings just to make them fit for habitation.  Some of the most uncomfortable buildings I have been in have been schools.  While it might seem counter-intuitive in light of the push for energy efficiency, I would also like to see a push to require that classrooms have some minimum exposure to sunlight and fresh air.  Whatever toxics are in the buildings are only made worse when there is no air exchange with the outside.  And it's just depressing (clinically for some) not to see daylight for hours at a time.

AmyLynn

]]>