Boz Scaggs

From Green Right Now Reports

Blues and soul singer Boz Scaggs and his wife, Dominique, have launched Scaggs Vineyard wines, according to a report in the Napa Valley Register. The musician, who had signature hits in the ’70s with “Lowdown,” “Lido Shuffle” and “What Can I Say,” is making a rosé and a blend of Rhone varietals.

Scaggs’ vineyard is on 2 and a half acres at the northernmost reach of Mount Veeder along the Mayacamas Ridge, at an altitude stretching from 1,100 to 1,400 feet. Since 2005, the operation has been certified organic.

The Register says the wines are made by Napa veteran Ken Bernards, who was the cellar brains behind Ancien.

More info

• Visit the official site at scaggsvineyard.com

Watch

Boz Scaggs Lowdown live 2004:

The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle was built with green features.

Pennsylvania officials today opened the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park, offering visitors modern accommodations and an up-close experience with nature. The 18,500-square foot inn also demonstrates the use of environmentally friendly architecture and green technology, and explains it to visitors.

“Our vision was to expand the range of overnight accommodations in our state park system to attract new visitors,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley said in a statement. “You can now stay the night at a primitive tent site, a yurt, camping cottage or modern cabin, or have modern conveniences provided at the Nature Inn, depending on your preference.

“As a southern entrance point to the 12-county Pennsylvania Wilds, this Nature Inn will welcome people to a region known for its wealth of state parks and forests and opportunities for wildlife watching and many other outdoor adventures,” Quigley said.

The Inn’s green features include a high efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system, solar collectors to heat water for showers and laundry, five rain barrels and four large cisterns to collect and harvest rainwater for flushing toilets and low-water-use plumbing fixtures and high efficiency lighting. Pennsylvania hardwoods from certified sustainable forests were used in the structure, finishes and furnishings. The building has direct access to hiking and biking trails to enable and encourage healthy interaction with park resources.

Each of the inn’s 16 rooms is named for a different bird and features coordinating prints by artists John James Audubon and Ned Smith. Every spring, songbirds including warblers, flycatchers and swallows, display courtship rituals and sing enchanting melodies while searching for nesting spots in the park. Boaters and beach-goers commonly see herons, gulls, geese and osprey around the lake. In the fall, visitors can find migrating mergansers, cormorants and buffleheads on the lake.

Featuring several works of art by local artisans including a large stained-glass window of a bald eagle, and butternut wood fireplace mantels and oak frames in the guest rooms, the inn will display artisan products and connect people to the Pennsylvania Wilds Artisan Trail.

Bald Eagle State Park is located in Centre County, not far from Interstate 80. The inn is approximately a 3-hour drive from Pittsburgh; slightly longer from Philadelphia.

More information

• Learn more about the Nature Inn online or call 814-625-2879

Satellite image of Jamestown (Photo: NASA)

From Green Right Now Reports

More than $200 million in spending and 4,000 Virginia jobs supported by the six million visitors each year to Jamestown, Chincoteague and Shenandoah National Park are at risk if climate change remains on its current path, according to a major new report issued this week by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Among the possible changes: a loss of Chincoteague’s beach, the complete flooding by higher tidal waters of historic Jamestown Island – site of the continent’s original English settlement in 1607 – and the decline of the brilliant fall colors of Shenandoah National Park.

The report details the wide range of impacts from higher temperatures, rising water levels and stronger hurricanes on Jamestown, which is a part of Colonial National Historical Park, Shenandoah National Park and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

Jamestown is where America’s colonial history began, with the first permanent European settlement in what became the original colonies and then the United States. It also is where representative democracy in America began.

Chincoteague NWR on the southern end of Assateague Island on Virginia’s Atlantic coast has more than 14,000 acres of beach, forest, and marsh habitats that are home to a wide variety of migratory birds, plants, and other animals. Located just 70 miles from Washington, D.C., Shenandoah NP is a crown jewel of the United States’ national park system.

Higher seas resulting from human-caused climate change threaten Jamestown and Chincoteague NWR. Globally, three feet or more of sea-level rise is now believed to be most plausible by century’s end. Because the land along Virginia’s coastlines is naturally subsiding, the local rise of seas and tidal waters will be even greater than the global average. The report identifies such possible outcomes as the flooding of “virtually all of Jamestown Island” and “‘nothing less than a wholesale transformation’” of Chincoteague after sea-level rise of about three to four and a half feet by this century’s end.

Before Jamestown and much of Chincoteague may be inundated by higher water levels, key historical, archaeological, and natural resources could be destroyed or damaged by storm surges and erosion resulting from stronger hurricanes and coastal storms. At risk is the original Jamestown Fort of 1607, a corner of which has already been lost to erosion by the James River. The barrier island containing Chincoteague is at very high risk of fragmentation by the natural forces of winds and waves, augmented by unnaturally higher seas and stronger storms resulting from human-caused climate change.

Also threatened by erosion could be resources at the Yorktown battlefield, which like Jamestown is part of Colonial NHP. One key site at risk is Redoubt 10, on the edge of a cliff along a stretch of the York River that has suffered erosion over the years. This was the scene of a key battle won by Revolutionary forces under the command of Colonel Alexander Hamilton, part of the decisive final offense that led to the surrender a few days later of the British army at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. The nearby Moore House, at which the terms of surrender were arranged, is also potentially exposed to shoreline erosion.

The famous fall colors of the Shenandoah are at risk due to the projected invasion of less colorful pine and other trees considered to be more Southern.

Wild horses at Chincoteague National Wildlife refuge.

Higher temperatures are expected at all three sites. Jamestown and Chincoteague could be 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter and Shenandoah 8.1 degrees Fahrenheit hotter, under one scenario. According to the report: “With the region’s largest temperature increases projected for the summer, intolerable heat may become a real problem (for would-be visitors) at Jamestown and perhaps Chincoteague.”

Extreme weather in the form of major downpours and more flooding could transform Shenandoah NHP. The amount of rain falling in heavy storms increased by 20 percent over the past century, and scientists believe there is at least a 90 percent likelihood that heavy downpours will become even more frequent and intense, causing more flooding. Shenandoah, with its steep mountain terrain, is particularly vulnerable to slope failure and debris flows during severe storms, as illustrated by a June 1995 storm in which about two feet of rain fell in a few hours, causing a mountainside slope in the park to give way, sending trees and boulders the size of houses tumbling downhill.

A first-ever, federally required review shows that Pennsylvania’s 17 million acres of woodlands will face future challenges requiring continued planning and management, State Forester Daniel Devlin said today. Notably, the reports says that “opening extensive new state forest acreage for gas production may threaten publicly held forest resources beyond sustainable limits.”

“Pennsylvania is blessed with abundant forests providing many values and benefits to society, from clean air and water to wood products, biological diversity, recreational opportunities and scenic beauty,” Devlin said in a statement. “However, there are many challenges to conserving these forests. We can only be successful by working strategically and collaboratively with our partners and stakeholders.”

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Perhaps the biggest impact in the future could come from gas development in the Marcellus Shale, a rock deposit that lies as much as 8,000 feet below the surface of two-thirds of Pennsylvania. It it estimated that the area may contain nearly 170 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that was previously thought too difficult and too expensive to access, as it must be released from between the impermeable layers of shale.

Advances in drilling technology, along with high but fluctuating gas prices, have resulted in widespread natural gas production across Pennsylvania. While that exploration can bring the state revenues, it could ultimately impact the tourism industry — the state’s second most economically significant sector, following agriculture. Officials says 3.9 million wildlife watchers and 1.5 million anglers and hunters take to Pennsylvania’s woods and streams each year and spending associated with wildlife watching alone in Pennsylvania in 2006 amounted to $1.4 billion in retail sales, more than $2.6 billion for lodging, transportation, equipment and supplies, and generated $880 million in salaries, wages and business owners’ income.

“Overall, Pennsylvania’s forests are ‘sustainable,’ but we need to keep our ‘eye on the ball’ on certain issues to ensure this trend continues,” said Devlin, citing forest-condition indicators featured in the report.

Some of the other concerns Devlin cited include invasive plants and insects, white-tailed deer impacts, forest loss and fragmentation and overall forest health and tree diversity.

The Bureau of Forestry documented state and privately owned forests, and formulated strategies for their long-term sustainability, as well as future management goals and initiatives. The Statewide Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy is required every five years under the 2008 Farm Bill in order to ensure continued funding for Pennsylvania’s forestry programs.

Maintaining your vehicle’s fuel system can improve performance, lower emissions and save you money.

From Green Right Now Reports

Not everyone can afford to pay the freight for one of those new electric cars hitting the market this year. Others may be leery of the long-term viability of hybrids.

What to do if you’re driving a conventional gasoline-powered car and still want to help the environment? Maintaining your vehicle’s fuel system can improve performance, lower emissions and save you money, too.

“A well-maintained fuel system is essential for good gas mileage,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “By simply replacing your car’s fuel filter every two years or 24,000 miles and having your fuel injectors flushed our every 30,000 miles, you will not only have a cleaner, ‘greener’ car, but you will also spend less ‘green’ at the pump.”

The fuel system includes a pressure regulator, fuel injectors, lines/hoses, fuel filter, fuel tank and one or more fuel pumps. These components work together to supply fuel to the vehicle as needed.

“While the fuel system may seem complex, preventative maintenance will keep it running at peak performance and keep you in the ‘green,’” said White.

Organic cotton is used in this evening gown by Edun.

From Green Right Now Reports

The Museum at FIT in New York is presenting Eco-Fashion: Going Green, an exhibition exploring fashion’s relationship with the environment. Generally, “eco-fashion” refers to the work of designers who use, produce, and/or promote sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-conscious products.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology continues Eco-Fashion: Going Green, an exhibition exploring fashion’s relationship with the environment, through Nov. 13. Organized by Jennifer Farley and Colleen Hill, along with Tiffany Webber, the exhibition is on view in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery at The Museum at FIT.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday–noon-8 pm; Saturday–10 am-5 pm Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays. Admission is free.

Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the mid-18th century to the present, the exhibit looks at both positive and negative environmental practices over the past two centuries, providing historical context for today’s eco-fashion movement. The show emphasizes how each stage of fashion production—from fiber to finished garment—has environmental consequences. As a counterpoint, the extensive range of contemporary examples in the exhibition will showcase the increasing commitment of both designers and consumers to meet these environmental challenges, in a conscious effort to minimize harmful impacts.

The Xuly-Bët dress incorporates worn sweaters and pantyhose.

Eco-Fashion: Going Green includes examples of sustainable fashion by current, cutting-edge labels, including Ciel, Bodkin, Edun, FIN, and NOIR. Many of these eco-designers and fashion industry experts have reacted against the industry’s “fast fashion” cycle, instead citing quality craftsmanship, convertibility, and uniqueness as key to the creation of clothing with lasting value and emotional connectivity.

The importance of meticulously crafted, made-to-order garments of the 1950s, a decade sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age of Couture,” is seen in a cocktail dress by famed Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga. Also on view is contemporary clothing by Los Angeles-based designer Linda Loudermilk, whose luxury eco, couture-quality garments are made primarily in the United States from sustainable materials.

Even before the rise of animal rights activist groups, the use of fur, feathers, and animal skins in fashion was a subject of debate. Long used for warmth and protection, fur was increasingly viewed as a luxurious status symbol in the 19th century.

Cruelty-free label Charmoné uses tan and red microfiber faux leather in this Cezanne pump.

A dressing gown from circa 1880 is trimmed with fur, an extravagant embellishment for an at-home garment. A “casual” raccoon fur coat, fashionable among young collegians in the 1920s, will be displayed next to an extravagant velvet opera cape bearing a lavish fur collar.

A 1960s paper dress embellished with an ostrich plume collar demonstrates how these once-luxurious feathers became part of an increasingly “throwaway culture.” As even the use of leather is debated today, the inclusion of contemporary shoes by cruelty-free label Charmoné will prove to rival those made from animal materials.

A review ordered by the United Nations has determined that the global panel on climate change needs to “fundamentally reform” how it functions in the wake of errors in a key report that damaged the group’s credibility leading up to last year’s Copenhagen climate summit.

The review was conducted by the InterAcademy Council, which groups 15 leading science academies. It came about after the “Climategate” scandal erupted in the face of errors and lack of documentation found in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 study, which suggested that carbon emissions from burning coal, gas and oil were already hurting the planet.

The review recommends an overhaul of the position of Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the IPCC. Just before the Copenhagen summit, the IPCC was rocked by a scandal involving leaked emails which critics say showed that the group had skewed data.

“I think the errors made did dent the credibility of the process — there’s no question about it,” said Harold Shapiro, a former president of Princeton University who led the review.

“Trust is something you have to earn every year. We think what we recommended will help.”

One part of the 938-page IPCC report said that Himalayan glaciers which provide water to a billion people in Asia could be lost by 2035 — an assessment later traced to a magazine article. The IPCC has admitted that the Himalayan glacier reference was wrong, but says its core conclusions about climate change are sound.

The review said the glacier reference showed that the IPCC — driven by a “confirmation bias” to prove ideas — did not pay close enough attention to dissenting viewpoints.

“There were a number of reviewers who pointed out that this didn’t seem quite right to them and that just was not followed through,” Shapiro said.

The UN review added that guidelines on source material for the IPCC were “too vague” and called for specific language  and enforcement on what types of literature are acceptable.

Pachauri, an Indian scientist, has come under criticism for having a vested interest because of business dealings with carbon trading companies. The review recommended creating a more permanent and professional position of IPCC chair, changing the current part-time arrangement. It also said that the chair tenure — two terms of six years each — is too long.

“Formal qualifications for the chair and all other bureau members need to be developed, as should a rigorous conflict-of-interest policy to be applied to senior IPCC leadership” and authors, the review said.

Greenpeace welcomed the review and cited severe weather this year — including Pakistan’s massive floods and Russia’s worst-ever heat wave — as evidence of global warming.

“Despite the muckraking and crude attempts to undermine the findings of the IPCC, the scientific consensus is clear, climate change represents a serious threat to the future of the environment and humanity,” the organization said.

From Green Right Now Reports

As opposition to the proposed Belo Monte Dam on the Amazon’s Xingu River grows, Amazon Watch and International Rivers have created a 10-minute Google Earth 3-D tour and video, narrated by actress Sigourney Weaver.  The production, entitled Defending the Rivers of the Amazon,  supports Brazil’s Xingu River Forever Alive Movement.

The Belo Monte Dam would be the third-largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It would divert the flow of the Xingu River, a significant tributary of the Amazon, to produce electricity for industrial mining operations in the region.

In the process, the dam’s reservoirs would flood 668 square kilometers and displace more than 20,000 people.  Late last week, the Brazilian government signed the concession to build the $17 billion-dollar project, ignoring local, national, and international opposition.

The tour and video illustrates the impact diverting the river along a 100-km stretch will have on the two indigenous tribes who have lived there for generations.   It also animates the flooding associated with the dam, impacts on the region’s spectacular biodiversity, and maps over 60 dams planned for the Brazilian Amazon over the next two decades.

Avatar director James Cameron also teamed up with Amazon Watch to produce a short feature, A Message from Pandora, that spotlights the battle to stop the massive Belo Monte Dam Complex.

The concept emerged when Weaver and Cameron visited the region in April. After speaking with some of the indigenous tribes and riverbank families who would be directly affected, Weaver commented that the Belo Monte Dam would be “a disaster for the Xingu River, for the rainforest, and certainly for all the indigenous people and families living along the river. Their way of life will disappear.”