May 20, 21 symposium shows school administrators, architects and engineers the benefits of going green.

On Wednesday May 20 and Thursday May 21, 2009 the local chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the US Green Building Council (USGBC) together with Solar San Antonio present the 2009 Green Schools Symposium, intended for architects, designers, consultants, engineers, developers, contractors and manufacturers

The first day of the symposium will be a full day LEED for Schools Technical Review Workshop. The LEED for Schools rating system is designed to improve children’s health, productivity and learning capacity while also helping school building to be more energy efficient and resource friendly. LEED for Schools emphasizes: classroom acoustics, master planning, indoor air quality, mold prevention, energy efficiency, water conservation, and more.

The second day of the symposium will offer a broad range of topics, including central Texas case studies, energy efficiency and renewable technologies, commissioning, acoustics and indoor air quality, along with legislative updates. An awards ceremony will also recognize outstanding schools in two different categories: new construction and renovation.

The fees for attendance at each part of the symposium vary according status of membership in sponsoring organizations and profession. Of course you can join the event's Facebook page too.

LEED for Schools Technical Review
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
International Center
203 S. St. Mary's Street
Register at www.usgbc-centraltexas.org/calendar

2009 Green School Symposium
Thursday, May 21, 2009
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
International Center
203 S. St. Mary's Street
register at www.aiasa.org

Greenling.com delivers organic produce, meat and more to your door in much of San Antonio

Now you can have organic vegetables, meats and more delivered to your door by Greenling.com.

This Austin based company delivers to a wide area north IH10/Highway 90 from the Dominion to Westover Hills, Downtown, north central San Antonio and along 281 North.

When you register on their website you select from the over 500 items they stock. Depending on your zip code in San Antonio they deliver each week on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Your items are delivered in a reusable plastic bin which you return when you get your next delivery and another bin.

There's no charge for delivery with a minimum purchase of $25.00 and you don't have to order every week. You can even have your purchase delivered to your workplace.

Some 75% of vegetables are grown within 125 miles of their Austin warehouse. In addition to organic vegetables they offer, fruit, nuts, dairy, meat, bread, herbs, nuts, sweets and gluten free items.

Keep up with their latest offerings on their Facebook page.

San Antonio Environment Meetup puts you in touch with others interested in the environment (on and off line).

Joining the San Antonio Environment Meetup is a great way to get notices on green and sustainable events, to show your support for the event by completing an RSVP online and to meet up with folks who share your interests at the event.

Registration for the meetup group is free. The site has a social networking component. You can post pictures and comments on the events before and after the event.

As of today events listed include, Green Drinks, Green Camp, Spring Nature Fest in Selma, Solar San Antonio's 10th Anniversary, and Walk and Roll on the River Fest.

San Antonio Sustainable Living blog makes it to top of Google search!

With over 100 posts and probably 400 outgoing links, a Google search of our group name, San Antonio Sustainable Living, on April 28, 2009 puts one of our posts at the top. The first result is our home page. A secondary result is our post on Joe Barfield's blog entry on the legalities of chicken raising in San Antonio.

The second result is for a list SASL member, Joe Barfield placed on Amazon.

If our luck holds then then we'll stay on top for a while. It was a hard battle to reach the top. Our group name uses common keywords. Our main search result rival cannot be named without increasing their search strength, but they are one of those sites that has thousands of pages with no real information that are so well linked to other pages with little information that they often show up in Google search results.

25 x '25 Alliance seeks increased use of renewable energy

How does the goal of 25% of the United States' energy production coming from farms, forests and ranches by the year 2025 sound? That's the goal of the 25 x'25 Alliance.

The 25 x '25 Alliance grew out of discussions of the Bioenergy and Agriculture Working group of the Energy Future Coalition, a group which is supported financially by Better the World Fund, the Turner Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Annenberg Foundation
and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation among others.

The Energy Future Coalition describes itself as "a broad-based, non-partisan alliance that seeks to bridge the differences among business, labor, and environmental groups and identify energy policy options with broad political support. "

Its advisory council includes Paul Gorman of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Kevin Knobloch, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, R. James Woolsey, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael J. Sullivan, General President of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and John B. Ritch III, Director General of the World Nuclear Association.

The 25 x '25 Alliance lobbies at the federal and state level for Biofuels, Solar, Wind, Hydropower, Geothermal Electric production, and Energy Efficiency.

The 25 x 25 Action Plan calls for supportive policies in each of five areas:

• Increasing production of renewable energy
• Delivering renewable energy to markets
• Expanding renewable energy markets
• Improving energy efficiency and productivity
• Strengthening conservation of natural resources and the environment

President Obama proposes green energy/green economy plan

From Whitehouse.gov:

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn't just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment -- it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

• Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
• Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
• Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

Energy Plan Overview

Provide Short-term Relief to American Families

• Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation.

Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Years

• Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
• Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
• Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
• Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
• A "Use it or Lose It" Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
• Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

Create Millions of New Green Jobs

• Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
• Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
• Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.

Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050

• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
• Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change

San Antonio's compressed earth block machine manufacturer AECT

Advanced Earthen Construction Technology (AECT) has been making their compressed earth block machines in southeast San Antonio for over a decade.

The large capacity AECT 5000 is self-contained. It can be and has been used all over the world, at times far from any other source of power. Over the years it has been purchased and used by large institutional builders such as American Indian tribes and governments in the republics of the former Soviet Union. John W. Wright's patent 4640671 and patent 4557681 which Mr Wright shared with Jack L. Elkins are used in its design. Its hopper is typically filled by a full size front end loader.

The AECT 3000 is designed for the medium size contractor. It is a different design from the AECT 5000, though it produces the same size blocks. It is manufactured under the patent of David Lienau 5629033 . It weighs just under 5000 pounds as compared to 9800 pounds for its big brother. It can be loaded by a bobcat or tractor.



The AECT Impact 2001 is the machine for the small contractor or home owner. It is loaded by shovel or bucket. Usually it is set to produce 5 1/2 x 12 x 4.5 inch blocks as opposed to the 10 x 14 x 3.5 inch blocks produced by the larger machines. It is small enough to be hauled by a compact car.

The company also now manufactures a soil mixing machine to ease the process of preparing soil for the block presses.

Contact the factory at (210) 633-3224 or by email to arrange a operational demonstration.

$300 DIY Book Scanner made with recycled items can save books from the dumpster

Here's a project you might not think of as having a green or sustainable angle to it, until you have need for it. With this scanner you can preserve the information in your magazine collections and books without having to preserve the items themselves, so you can live in a smaller space, a tiny house even.

On Instructables, Daniel Reetz shows how for about $300 you can built your own fairly high speed book scanner. His scanner is built from trash picked wood, acrylic and computer parts along with two digital cameras and other purchased items.

It looks like the project is well beyond the average person, but if you are above average take a look and scan a book.

DIY Book Scanner Introduction and Motivation from Daniel Reetz on Vimeo.

Union of Concerned Scientists president testifies: Future without huge damaging costs of unchecked climate change possible

Union of Concerned Scientists president Kevin Knobloch testified April 22, 2009 before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce saying that their analysis shows that:

"...we can build a comprehensive and competitive 21st century clean energy economy that saves consumers money and gives our children a future without huge, damaging costs of unchecked climate change. A future of clean energy and cars, smart houses and clear skies is well within our technological and financial abilities.saves consumers money and gives our children a future without huge, damaging costs of unchecked climate change."

The Union of Concerned Scientists is a non-profit organization that combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.

Here is Mr. Knobloch's testimony in full:

"Chairmen Waxman and Markey and distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to speak with you today on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists. I am President of UCS, a national science-based nonprofit organization that’s been working for a healthy environment and a safer world for 40 years. I applaud the leadership of this subcommittee and the full committee for moving this issue forward at this critical time. And I’d like to thank Mr. Dingell and Mr. Boucher for getting the ball rolling in a thoughtful, knowledgeable and comprehensive way in the last Congress.

Today I am pleased to share the results of a major study we’ve conducted to examine the energy and economic implications of a comprehensive suite of energy, transportation and climate policies that we call the Climate 2030 Blueprint. We used a modified[1] version of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Modeling System for our analysis, with a baseline reference case that shows global warming emissions rising 13 percent above 2005 levels by 2030, and a clean energy blueprint case that leads to deep emissions reductions which put us on a path to stabilizing our climate and preventing catastrophic climate change.

The results of this analysis show that we can build a comprehensive and competitive 21st century clean energy economy that saves consumers money and gives our children a future without huge, damaging costs of unchecked climate change. A future of clean energy and cars, smart houses and clear skies is well within our technological and financial abilities.

To highlight just a few of our major findings, our analysis found that by 2030:

1. Under the Blueprint, our nation meets a carbon cap of 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 56 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. We can achieve these emissions cuts cost-effectively by implementing a comprehensive set of smart energy, transportation, and cap policies. This comprehensive approach is similar to the one proposed by Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Markey in their draft legislation.
2. We can achieve these deep cuts in carbon emissions while saving American consumers and businesses $465 billion annually in 2030. The Blueprint also builds $1.6 trillion in cumulative net savings between 2010 and 2030.
3. We can both reduce emissions on that scale and expand our economy between now and 2030, while keeping jobs growing at the same rate as in the reference case.
4. We can cut the use of oil and petroleum products by 6 million barrels a day in 2030 – as much oil as we currently import from OPEC and 30 percent of our nation’s current total daily oil consumption.
5. We can save consumers money on their energy bills because of increased energy efficiency, even though electricity rates and gasoline prices go up slightly. That means families will see average household savings of $900 a year in 2030, while businesses will, all together, save nearly $130 billion a year. Households and businesses in every region in the nation - even coal-dependent regions - will see lower energy bills.
6. The electricity sector contributes more than half of the emissions cuts in 2030. We can reduce power plant carbon emissions 84 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The Blueprint policies will also cut mercury, acid rain, smog and soot pollution, improving air and water quality and saving lives.
7. We can cut emissions from cars and trucks by 40 percent compared to their 2005 levels and freeze emissions from freight trucks at 2005 levels even as the economy undergoes significant growth. The transportation sector contributes the second largest area of emissions reductions and accounts for one-half of the net consumer and business energy cost savings in 2030.

The key to this success is the comprehensive policy approach we modeled. The transportation policies get us cleaner cars, cleaner fuels and better transportation options. The energy policies get us more efficient appliances and buildings, renewable energy and more efficient natural gas generation. A transparent and smartly-designed cap and trade policy assures the emissions reductions the U.S. needs to help avoid the worst effects of global warming.

This comprehensive approach is so critical that when we stripped out the sector-specific energy and transportation policies in our analysis, the cumulative savings for households and businesses by 2030 were reduced dramatically - from $1.6 trillion to $600 billion.

We did not find that all of these benefits will come for free. Energy costs may be slightly higher in the very early years as we make investments in the clean energy economy, but those investments will reap much higher savings for Americans in every region later on. Under the Blueprint policies, households and businesses will actually start paying less on their energy bills by 2013, because reductions in usage from energy efficiency more than offset the modest increase in energy prices. In transportation, there will be more upfront investment, but consumers and businesses will get even more back later as they save money on gas. Overall, the investments made early on (from 2010 to 2015) for efficiency, renewables, cars, and so on will start saving us money by 2015.

We have an historic opportunity to reinvent our economy, to make it more resilient and efficient – and to produce a bow wave of new high quality, well paying jobs, especially in regions that have strong manufacturing capacity, a seasoned, able labor force, and needed resources and infrastructure. In this new homegrown economy, we need people to build wind turbines, weatherize and retrofit homes, install solar panels and manufacture advanced cars and fuels, as well as to design, transport, maintain, repair, market and sell all of the above.

In my travels around the country, I hear a growing call for a new clean energy economy that is designed to also solve large, stubborn problems by reducing our dependence on oil, making us less vulnerable to blackouts, creating jobs, tackling climate change, and improving our families’ health. We know that if we continue down a path of no action our risks and vulnerabilities will increase, leading to significantly higher costs than if we act boldly today.

The status quo is not an option. Our analysis makes a compelling case that a forward-looking, comprehensive set of policies will jump-start the transition to a clean energy economy. The Waxman-Markey draft legislation capably starts us down that path."

San Antonio Green Drinks, May 5 a fun way to get to know environmentally friendly San Antonians

If you are working on or interested in environmental issues check out San Antonio Green Drinks, a forum for fun, contacts, info, gossip, inspiration, business and pleasure.

An international phenomena Green Drinks is a monthly, informal networking event for environmental professionals and anyone interested in “green” things. It started in a north London pub, the Slug and Lettuce, when Edwin Datschefski, sitting with his green design colleagues Yorick Benjamin and Paul Scott, noticed an environmentally-minded acquaintance who was was sitting with his own ecology-conscious pals. They pulled some tables together and a movement was born.

Today gatherings are held in almost 500 cities around the world and the Green Drinks Facebook Group has over 4000 members.

In San Antonio, Green Drinks was started by Michelle and meets the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. At the San Antonio Green Drinks page or San Antonio Environment Meetup you can find out details about the May 5 Green Drinks at Champps Americana, 11075 Ih 10 W San Antonio, TX 78230 in Huebner Oaks, which will include a visit with Derba from Clothesline Cleaners, a natural alternative to dry cleaning.

Beautiful natural home built into Welsh hillside

Northwest artist and builder Sun Ray Kelly calls the woods the "Supernatural Market". In Wales, Simon Dale went to that supernatural market for materials for his home which in many ways is reminiscent of Kelly's work.

The family home was built into a hillside and uses spare wood from surrounding woodlands along with lime plaster and strawbales. The home is truly beautiful.

Check out his website: A Low Impact Woodland Home for more information.

Express News energy news: CPS embraces smart meters and estimates cost of new nuclear project at $22 billion.

SASL member Joe Barfield points out that there is is quite a bit of energy news in today's San Antonio Express News. In the Business Section there's "CPS to get smarter" concerning CPS and smart metering. On the front page there's "Nuke Plan may cost $22 billion".

An opinion on global warming from Australian commentator Andrew Bolt

SASL member Tony Stephenson points out this opinion piece from Australian conservative commentator, columnist and associate editor of the Melbourne Heral Sun, Andrew Bolt entitled "If the world is warming, why are we so cold? ".

Fun children's furniture from folded cardboard

You can't furnish a house with these designs from Foldschool but you can make a cute child size chair, stool or rocker.

These designs use waste cardboard. Plans and instructions can be downloaded free of charge, though donations are welcome. If you have access to a large format printer there's a special version of each plan for you. Otherwise the plans can be printed onto a standard letter size printer.

The furniture available through Foldschool is designed by Swiss-based architect Nicola Enrico Stäubli. He is living and working as an independent architect, designer and bike messenger. Foldschool is his first mass product, cardboard furniture hand-crafted by the consumer.

Follow the contruction of a West Texas papercrete castle

A papercrete building doesn't just just spring to life. It takes plenty of work. The blog Puerto Viejo to Big Bend by Noble Baker and Alaine Berg documents the work being done to build their "joint" in Marathon, Texas with a papercrete arched shower, more papercrete domes, walls and arches.

They are making regular entries so you will be able to follow their progress. Even more important they are logging their hours so you can see just long it takes for a hand built house.

Was Goff green? Was Goff sustainable? Regardless "Goff in the Desert" will amaze.

Bruce Goff may be well know among architects but he isn't among mainstream fans of architecture. The film Goff in the Desert by German director Heinz Emigholz explores 62 of the more than 150 structures that were designed and built by Goff between 1920 and 1982.

Goff's work ranges from the art deco beauty of the Boston Avenue Church in Tulsa to the innovative and attractive works of his later years such the Frank family home built with Frankoma tile . In theaters this film consisted almost entirely of static shots of the buildings without commentary. The soundtrack is whatever sounds the camera picked up, which includes lots of traffic.

After watching the DVD be sure to listen to the director's commentary. The German director's take on Goff and the United States is quite interesting. The director mentions that they never knew what to expect when they pulled up to a Goff house to film. You will feel the same way as you watch this film.

Though Goff was fond of certain elements such as an extremely open floor plan, multiple levels, round sunken sitting areas in front of fireplaces, covered patios, and unusual roof lines, he did not repeat himself. Each house is a surprise. You can learn more about his philosophy at the Duncan Castle of Cobden Illinois which is operates as very reasonably priced B&B.

The fact that so many of these houses were built in places where one would not expect to find unusual architecture speaks to Goff's persuasive personality.

So was his work green and sustainable? Goff liked to re-purpose industrial items for his homes and he certainly took advantage of daylighting but it the film does not address his interest in what we would call green issues today, so the question is open.

Nevertheless, if you are a fan of the innovative and beautiful be sure to add Goff in the Desert to your Netflix queue and watch it twice, once without commentary and once with.

The Miracle of Permaculture Part 3: Geoff Lawton introduces the Food Forest

In this video, Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia introduces the concept of the Food Forest. This is a small part of the DVD Establishing a Food Forest, which is available as a region free DVD that is playable worldwide. Unlike their Harvesting Rainwater DVD, this is in the NTSC television format which makes it viewable on US televisions.

COPS/Metro Alliance wants CPS to be required to look into green energy as alternative to more nuclear reactors.

Sustainable Energy is a part of the 2009 COPS-The Metro Alliance Human Development Agenda. At their April 26 Accountability Session candidates for San Antonio mayor and city council were asked whether they supported the following:

"CPS Energy proposes expanding the South Texas Nuclear Project to two more nuclear reactors as the next source of electricity for San Antonio. COPS/Metro leaders will insist on a public dialogue that considers what similar investments in solar, wind and other sustainable sources of energy would mean for our city. Investment in "green energy could bring jobs and economic development to San Antonio."

After their agenda was presented each candidate was given the opportunity to state whether they would support 11 specific questions policies arising from the agenda.

Candidates for mayor, Deberry-Mejia, Julian Castro, Sheila McNeil, and Diane Cibrian all stated that they would "Require that CPS Energy presents alternative plan for solar and wind energy."

Dr. Lstiburek on building practices and materials inappropriate for the South

Dr. Joseph Lstiburek,principal of Building Science Corporation has posted a piece provocatively titled "Joe's Top Ten List of Dumb Things to Do in the South".

No, it isn't about putting peanuts in Coca-Cola or driving up and down Main Street. It is about 10 building practices that Dr. Lstiburek thinks are inappropriate for the southern areas of the US.

The list includes materials, insulation practices, barriers to vapor and several related to air conditioning and heating.

Thanks to SASL member, Joe Barfield for adding a link to Dr. Lstiburek's article to our SASL Facebook group.

Earth Wise Organic Pest Control to present at SASL April 28 meeting

Our April meeting, tomorrow features a presentation by Earth Wise Organic Pest Control. They feature strategies that include alternative treatment which is less harmful to people and pets than treatments utilized by conventional pest control services. As usual, we will begin the meeting Tuesday evening at 7pm in the classroom inside Whole Foods Market in the Quarry Shopping Center. Hope to see you there.

Bed, Breakfast and Papercrete in Marathon, Texas

How do you experience living in a home built with sustainable materials without building your own? One way is to stay at one of a growing number of green B&B's.

In Marathon, Texas a short 30 minute drive from the Amtrak station in Alpine and 2 1/2 hours from the airport in Midland Eve's Garden Bed and Breakfast features papercrete domes and arches.

Eve’s Garden is an organic bed and breakfast which features an organic garden and locally produced food. The buildings themselves feature recycled content, papercrete and strawbale construction.

Rooms rent for between $195 and $155 per night.

The Miracle of Permaculture Part 2: Behind Greening the Desert

Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, reflects upon the success of Greening the Desert. "It's probably the most beneficial and productive 5 minutes we've ever created in our permaculture career." says Lawton.

In this short video he gives more details about the Jordan Project and goes into what happened to the project after the original video was made.

Austin LEED Platinum home makes EcoHome Magazine cover.

The March/April 2009 issue of ecohome magazine features an Austin's first LEED platinum home on the cover.

The 3, 082 square foot home designed by LaVerne Williams of Environment Associates of Houston features aerated concrete walls, rainwater catchment to meet all household needs and mud plaster created by Design Build Live's own Frank Meyer, the Thangmaker.

Fortunately the article "Living Off the Land" is on line.

EcoHome published by Hanley Wood is a trade publication for residential builders, remodelers, designers, and product specifiers . Their website features news and links to reviews, articles and educational pieces that would be of interest to people outside the trade. It can be viewed without needing a subscription to the magazine.

To see if you qualify for a subscription follow this link.

Map of Biodiesel Plants in the US, Canada (and Texas)

Biodiesel Magazine has placed a map of biodiesel manufacturing plants in the US and Canada online. It shows plants that are operating, idle and under construction.

The map shows 11 operating plants in Texas including the SMS Envirofuels Inc soy oil plant in Poteet, the GeoGreen Fuels soy oil plant in Gonzales which was recently purchased by Encore Energy Systems, and Central Texas Biofuels in Giddings which uses yellow grease.

(Free but necessary) tickets to San Antonio Green Camp May 9 still available.

As of last Saturday, April 18 there were still tickets available for San Antonio's first Green Camp to be held May 9 on the grounds of the former Pearl Brewery. Tickets are free but you must register and obtain one to attend.

See our March 25 post An Unconference. Learn from and teach your green peers, exchange ideas and start solving problems for more information and links.

The Miracle of Permaculture Part 1: Greening the Desert --The Jordan Project

Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia narrates this short segment about a project in the Jordan desert, an area of 6 inches of rainfall a year.

Using passive rainwater harvesting, mulch, micro-irrigation and careful selection of plants they were able to transform the desert. This is one of the most hopeful pieces you may ever see on YouTube.

Greening the Desert, is a segment from Water Harvesting the Permaculture Way, which although it is a region free DVD that is playable, is only available in the PAL television format, which is not used in the USA.

Chickens in San Antonio?

SASL member and small scale chicken farmer, Joe Barfield asks the question "Can you have chickens in San Antonio?" and answers in the affirmative. He has a complete analysis of the applicable city ordinances and regulations on his blog, Joe's List- San Antonio's finest original music, art, and culinary events.

The Daily Climate: Golden State may rule corn ethanol no solution to climate change.

An April 20, 2009 article by Mathew Cimitile on The Daily Climate, also appearing on the Scientific American site examines the debate in California over the effectiveness of corn based ethanol in reducing green house emissions. California regulators are required to assess the full life cycle costs of corn based ethanol, including indirect costs.

Thanks to San Antonio Sustainable Living member Tony Stephenson for suggesting this topic on the SASL Facebook group homepage.

Express-News Earth Matters: Briseño disagrees with SAWS staff

S A Express-News reporter Anton Caputo's April 21 article S.A.'s 50 year water plan. Who has the final say? addresses the disagreement between former city manager and current SAWS president Alex Briseño's and SAWS staff concerning whether the city council's approval ought to be sought for the 50 year water plan currently under consideration by the city owned utility.

UTSA Green Society connects students to green issues and action

The UTSA Green Society was founded just over two years ago and has thirty active members. It is open to all UTSA students.

They've participated in PowerVote-Youth Voting for Clean Energy, PowerShift which concentrates on global warming issues and Focus the Nation, a group that seeks to accelerate the transition to clean energy.

In addition they are involved in the UTSA community. They participate in San Antonio area educational and informational events and other activities such as hiking.

They expect to have a website up by the end of the summer. If you are a UTSA student and want to join, or if you want to involve this enthusiastic group in your green event you can contact them though this group email address .

You might also check out and join the UTSA Green Society on Facebook.