Fun in the Sun (and Snow)

Just for fun (I've been too serious lately) here is a wild idea. How about asking Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) to cover the top level of the parking deck? The top deck was closed for days this winter due to ice and snow, with a few falls anyway, so doesn't it make sense to cover it? Moreover we could stand some protection from the sun on unbearably hot Arkansas summer days and drenching rain storms.

The Proposal

David Berry (our COO) and Gina Wingfield (our CFO) would say this is a great idea if we had the money, but there are higher priorities for spending than our comfort (and occasionally our safety). But what if I were to tell them and you that it wouldn't have to cost us a dime? The details are somewhat more complicated, but the concept is spectacularly simple. A photovoltaic (PV) solar panel pays for itself in twenty years (typically, and maybe as short as ten). That's it! That is my great idea.

Complications

• Providing protection from the sun is straightforward; that is what 'solar' panels do essentially. Using panels to protect from ice and snow requires more creativity, but it can be done.
• The generating capacity for commercial customers for net-metering rules would be limited to 450 kW, which would be around 1800 panels. These would only cover about 180 parking spaces or ¾ of the top level.
• Connecting to the grid will require careful coordination with Entergy, including review of the net-metering agreement and a specific contract with Entergy up front (above my pay grade). Maybe we can negotiate a higher limit at the same time.

Are you kidding?

No, I am serious. Well I am having fun, of course, but I'm serious too. Moreover, I am not the first to think of this. Maybe the first at ACH (or not, I don't know), but similar projects are already underway, for example, at UT Southwestern Medical Center and at the VA Hospital in Little Rock. The VA project has been delayed, but I'm told it is now a matter of working out a few final details. It is a big (huge) project, after all, at least five times larger than the one I am suggesting.

Although Arkansas lags behind the rest of the country, the amount of electricity generated by U.S. utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plants is up more than 100 percent in 2014 over the same period in 2013, and it is predicted to double again within the next two years or less. Solar power is no longer a risky proposition. ACH is wise not to be the first (and it's not) but it should be among the leaders for this trend.

Why should ACH take the lead?

Above I suggested that solar panels would be a cost-effective way to provide protection from the elements (sun, rain, snow, and ice) for a few vulnerable parking spaces, but there are more compelling reasons that ACH should lead out in such a project.

Asthma

The CDC estimates that the prevalence of asthma nation-wide is around 8%. In Arkansas this number tends to be higher, around 13%. Among 9th through 12th graders in Arkansas, the prevalence may exceed 20%. In any case asthma among kids, especially teenagers, is a serious problem in Arkansas. The causes are multi-factorial, true, but without necessarily claiming a direct cause-effect relationship, coal-fired power plants are known to be major sources of particulate and sulfur dioxide pollution that trigger asthma, of which there are four in Arkansas. (One of these is said to be "clean" while another is listed among the dirtiest, but all contribute.)

If any institution in Arkansas should lead out in promoting clean air by cutting back on coal-fired power, it should be Arkansas Children's Hospital. Yes, 450 kW is just a drop in the bucket but not insignificant, nor would its impact be trivial. It is a start, a good start, and along with the VA Hospital we could make a profound statement for change. Yet clean air is not the half of it. Coal-fired power plants also emit carbon dioxide, a green-house gas, which is a major contributor to climate change.

Climate Change

Experts with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) believe climate change plays an even bigger role in allergies and asthma than what is being reported. "Climate change has the potential to affect all aspects of allergen exposure, including both indoor and outdoor allergens, as well as communicable diseases that are related to allergies and asthma." Beyond that, the World Health Organization estimates that more than 80% of the health burden due to climate change occurs in children less than 5 years old. As early as 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warned that "there is broad scientific consensus that Earth's climate is warming rapidly and at an accelerating rate. Human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are very likely to be the main cause of this warming." They went on to state that "because of their physical, physiological, and cognitive immaturity, children are often most vulnerable to adverse health effects from environmental hazards." Since then the AAP has reaffirmed these statements several times, as late as July 2014.

If any institution in Arkansas should be concerned about the health and well-being of our children and theirs it is Arkansas Children's Hospital. We cannot turn a blind eye to the many different forms of global destruction that will result from global warming caused by our addiction to coal and other fossil fuels. It will have a direct and indirect impact on the children of our state, and even devastating impacts on children around the world. How can we fail to do everything in our power to change the direction in which our world is heading?

There are powerful entities in our state that will try to tell you this is all political hype. They will claim there has been no warming for over fifteen years, or that the warming we've seen is natural variation unrelated to human activity. They will state that scientists disagree with each other and that there is still much debate about climate change. Or they will insist that reducing our use of fossil fuels would be an economic disaster, especially for developing countries. They will say anything they can to promote the continued use of their fossil fuel assets for as long as possible. Many of the medical staff at ACH are old enough to remember the same tactics used by big tobacco forty years ago to hold onto their profits. Don't believe them.

If any institution in Arkansas should accept the evidence of science on climate change it is Arkansas Children's Hospital. When we want to provide the best care for our patients we seek out the best scientific evidence we can. We follow the best experts we can find. If the evidence is equivocal we hold off and are (or try to be) patient, but when the evidence is clear we act upon it. My friends, there is ample evidence on climate change. Scientists by nature are conservative, scientific organizations even more so, but nearly every significant scientific organization in the world has issued a statement that climate change is real and that human activity is responsible. Well over 90% of the climate experts in the world agree (97% actually). To suppose that all of them are wrong (or part of a conspiracy) is foolhardy. And for those of you who wish to examine the evidence for yourselves, please let me know. I promise you, it is both impressive and convincing.

The Mission of ACH

The Mission of ACH is to "champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow." How can we fail, therefore, to do everything possible to mitigate climate change and its potential to devastate our children and theirs beyond anything we now imagine? How can we not do everything in our power, including actions that might be politically controversial, to change the tide?

Okay, so maybe we are not quite there yet. What we can do, however, is something less controversial and much less risky, such as installing a few solar-panel covered parking spaces. This proposal is a win-win. It protects our employees, pays us back over time, and makes a positive statement about clean energy generation. We can wait until the following year (or the next) to picket the Foundation to divest its fossil fuel holdings or the EPA to further tighten its clean air standards. As I said above, removing 450 kW from the grid seems precious little, but it would say (and do) more than you might think.

Did I say something about not being so serious? Oh well.

Carbon Sequestration

The snow day is nearly over, but I learned something today I'd like to pass along. The term "carbon sequestration" can have at least two different meanings.

Soil Carbon Sequestration

Soil carbon sequestration is a process in which CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil carbon pool by plants through photosynthesis, with carbon stored in the form of soil organic carbon (SOC).

Since the industrial revolution, the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural use has resulted in the depletion of SOC levels. This is the combined result of reductions in the amount of plant roots and residues returned to the soil, increased decomposition from soil tillage, and increased soil erosion. Depletion of SOC stocks has created a soil carbon deficit that represents an opportunity to store carbon in soil through a variety of land management approaches. However, various factors impact potential soil carbon change in the future, including climatic controls, historic land use patterns, current land management strategies, and topographic heterogeneity. (Todd A. Ontl & Lisa A. Schulte, 2012)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology is the process of capturing waste CO₂ from large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, transporting it to a storage site, and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere, normally an underground geological formation. (See EPA on CSS.) The energy requirements of sequestration processes may be significant (up to 25% of the energy output or more). By the industry's own admission, on a practical scale the hurdles are still enormous. Moreover, it would only work on point sources.

What I learned today, then, is that neither form of carbon sequestration is currently feasible on a large scale. But soil carbon sequestration is not only a potential means of reclaiming atmospheric CO₂, but more importantly it is a way to reclaim our rapidly depleted soil. Carbon capture and sequestration technology, on the other hand, is merely an attempt to mitigate the continued use of fossil fuels using technology that is still prohibitively expense and of unproven safety.

Open Letter II to Senator Boozman

Senator Boozman,

A few days ago I wrote to you expressing my concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline. Your answer seemed familiar because we've had much this same exchange before. This time you wrote:

Thank you for contacting me to express your views regarding the Keystone Pipeline. It is good to hear from you.

I understand the many diverse opinions that have been expressed about the pipeline. I feel strongly that we need to make sure that the transportation of fuels and energy is carried out in the safest manner possible. I also believe we should use the vast energy resources we have in North America to lower gas prices and lessen our dependence on foreign oil from unstable regions. This pipeline would add more energy to the supply lines while creating and sustaining jobs. American manufacturers need access to affordable energy so that our country can remain competitive. The best way to lower gas prices for Arkansas families is to rely on North American resources.

Also, the Canadians are developing their resources, so the question is whether our country will benefit or whether those resources will go to our competitors, like China. We must also consider that when oil is not shipped by a pipeline it is often moved by other methods of transportation, like railroads. While we may not see completely eye-to-eye on this issue, you should know that I respect your views. At this time, the federal government has not made a final decision on the pipeline. Please know that I will keep your concerns in mind as we move forward debating energy issues like this pipeline.

Again, thank you for contacting me on this very important issue. Please be sure to visit our website at www.boozman.senate.gov . I look forward to your continued correspondence.

Sincerely,
John Boozman
U.S. Senator

See how similar it is? Senator, it seems clear that you did not read my previous reply because you have not answered any of the challenges raised there. Rather than just repeat them, however, let me take a different approach.

First, please know that I have not always opposed the Keystone XL Pipeline. Prior to 2013 I was uninformed and fairly neutral. I knew there were environmental concerns, but I also thought there were economic and safety reasons why a new pipeline would be worth the risks. The Mayflower Oil Spill changed all that for me, not because it was such a terrible disaster -- as environmental disasters go, it was not nearly the worst -- but it took that event to jar me from my apathy to examine the issues for myself. My previous response to you grew out of that personal study.

Second, I am extremely concerned that science has become so badly distorted and denigrated in our society, particularly among leaders such as you. This reminds me of when I was in medical school and the science of tobacco health risks were belittled by Big Tobacco. Surely you remember this yourself. Millions of people lost their lives because of this. Spreading doubt and denial was extremely costly then and it is more so now. Senator, why do you follow this same path today? You can hide your head in the sand, but the scientists are in 97%(+) agreement, and you are on the wrong side of this one. Science is NOT an opinion poll. It always catches up. As a scientist I beg you to take the science seriously.

If you still "look forward to continued correspondence" I would appreciate hearing your answers to the specific questions I raised before, and if need be I would be happy to bring them to your attention again.

Sincerely,
Donnal Walter, MD, PhD

Watershed Discipleship

St. Margaret's Church, situated on the eastern extent of Shinall and Crystal Mountains, lies on a natural divide. Rain north of the church flows to the Arkansas River by way of the Maumelle and Little Maumelle Rivers, whereas rain on the opposite side flows into the headwaters of Rock Creek and on south then east to the Arkansas River by way of Fourche Creek. A ridge of mountains like this between two water ways is called a watershed. By analogy a "watershed moment" is a crucial dividing line or turning point when an outcome could go either way. We live in such a time.

The Watershed Moment

"Life, a miracle in the universe, appeared around four billion years ago, and we humans only two hundred thousand years ago. Yet we have succeeded in disrupting the balance that is so essential to life. In fifty years, in a single lifetime, the Earth has been more radically changed than by all previous generations of humanity." (Home) The decisions we make in the remainder of this century, especially the next few decades, will determine the survival of civilization, possibly even our species and certainly others. I refer not only to green-house gas emissions with resulting global warming and climate change, but to other forms of pollution of air and water, to never-ending war and violence in our streets and in our homes, to discrimination, oppression, exploitation, and inequality. This watershed moment calls for nothing short of radical discipleship, not denial.

Taking a Stand from My Watershed

The word "watershed" also has another meaning. It is the area of land that drains all rainfall and streams to a common outlet. I mentioned two of these above, one north and one south of St. Margaret's. The USGS has created a hierarchical system of watersheds, or hydrologic units, each assigned a unique code (HUC). The watershed containing Rock Creek and Fourche Creek is designated HUC 1111020702. It is one of six watersheds that make up the Lower Arkansas-Maumelle sub-basin (HUC 11110207). Another is the north slope of Shinall Mountain, which contains the Maumelle and Little Maumelle Rivers (HUC 1111020701). Why is this important?

Water is essential for life. All living plants and animals are inextricably linked to the natural flow of water within a bioregion (life territory), and although we try to insulate ourselves through a grid of waterlines to every location where we use water, we cannot escape these intricate connections between life and the flow of water. It has been, in fact, our attempt to shield our lives and our actions from our profound interconnectedness with the Earth that has led to the wanton destruction we see (or too often refuse to see) around us. In this way, the profound global issues facing us remain abstract and diffuse.

How can we care for the planet without caring for its millions of natural neighborhoods, each one different and distinctly precious from the others? Watershed Discipleship is based on persuasion "that the best way to orient the church's work and witness is through bioregionally-grounded planning and action which focuses on the actual watersheds we inhabit. Because this orientation is still foreign to our Christian communities, our task is to nurture watershed consciousness and engagement in our faith traditions. "

Becoming a Disciple of My Watershed

My watershed has much to teach me about interrelatedness and resiliency, but I am surprised at how little I know about it. Over the coming weeks I intend to rectify that.

Rel B. Corbin, Guest

Peoples Climate March—my experience. I was #112, the last person to be accepted for the Arkansas buses to NYC. We left LR very early Friday morning, stopped at Oak Ridge, Tennessee for a program on Global Warming . Some of us had signed up too late for a security clearance to enter Oak Ridge so we had to spend that time on a nice beach on the Clinch River miles upstream from the ash dump at Kingston, TN.

We spent the night at the hamlet of Bulls Gap, TN, where we picked up the last to join us. We had folks from all over Arkansas and from Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Ages ranged from early teens to around eighty. Families came.

Up early Saturday, to go the length of the Virginia's Shenendoah Valley, very briefly across West Virginia and Maryland and then half the length of Pennsylvania to arrive at Rochelle Park, NJ that night and up early Sunday morning to arrive beside Central Park in NYC to wait for our parade to start at 11:30. Many people were already there when we arrived about 7 AM. We had agreed to stay together, so we scattered. I was with a little core group but I would wander off among the people and out into Central Park occasionally (Central Park is huge with big overgrown areas. There were plenty of porta potties for 200,000 but not near enough for the 400,000+ who participated. I have found I was not the only one to water the bushes in wonderfully over grown areas.)

There were Vegans, Pacifists, Socialists, Communists, Lenin-Marxists, others strongly opposed to all these and then there were others. There were all colors of folks. I talked with a Pine Bluff, Arkansas native NAACPer who brought several teenagers from Milwaukee.

Sometimes New Englanders and New Yorkers would ask where I was from, I assumed because of my Arkansas twang, but I felt they were just curious. Folks were very nice. And interested to talk with someone from Arkansas.

I never felt pushed, physically or otherwise in New York.

There were cops everywhere. My seat mate for the trip, Guerlermina, was from Monterey, Mexico via Chicago and eastern Oklahoma, good Catholic, widowed in 1972 with 5 young children, who recently married a Republican Methodist. Mina got her photo taken twice with pairs of cops holding her arms from either side, all grinning.

This was an exhausting trip. I never heard a speech that moved me. But I felt the whole time (until the Monday night at 10:30 arrival back in Little Rock.) that this mass of people, many of whom probably sacrificed greatly to go, want to save God's Green Earth from the eminent disaster, (referred to as "Progress" by many) we are close to.

I am ready to go again.

By Rel B. Corbin, guest post.
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Ryan Boswell, Guest

The People's Climate March was far and away a greater success that I ever could have imagined. My experience started at 5AM the Friday before the march. I jumped on a bus that would caravan from Little Rock with more than one hundred others from around the region. On the way to New York, we divided the drive into two days, and picked up a handful of passengers on the route from Arkansas across Tennessee. We stopped for the day after the first twelve hours of driving, which destined us for a visit to the Climate Change Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. We heard from three climate scientists about the impacts of climate change in the Arctic Circle and how trees are responding to increased temperature and atmospheric carbon. It was truly fascinating work – enough to keep one hundred people engaged after twelve hours on a cramped bus.

The next day we made the long and uneventful drive to outskirts of New York, where we rested up for the Sunday's big event. We woke early and traveled into the city. In a way it was eerie how quiet New York was that morning; the city that never sleeps seemed to be in a trance, as if it already knew what was going to unfold. Police and march organizers were everywhere, skillfully coordinating the more than 500 buses traveling from around the country. We were off the bus with three hours to go before the march began, but already the route was buzzing with people. I walked up and down Central Park West to get a handle the crowd.

I couldn't believe my eyes. People impassioned by all manner of issues were joining together under the common cause of climate change. The crowd was so diverse and sometimes at odds: from peace-loving grandmothers to youth demanding a climate-just future; anti-nuclear and pro-nuclear camps; vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores; indigenous communities, faith leaders of all stripes, anarchists, socialists, liberals, conservatives. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. Despite our sometimes polarizing motivations, when it came time to march, we marched together – all 400,000 of us – in recognition that we all share only one planet. As we milled about, waiting to march, my cell phone buzzed with a message from the PCM organizers.

"Moment of Silence at 12:58 PM. At 1:00 PM, sound the alarm on climate change."

I thought the quietness of the city was unsettling in the morning, but when a clamoring crowd of 400,000 suddenly fell silent in unison, it sent chills down my spine. More powerful yet was the moment the silence broke. I was somewhere near the middle of the mass of people and from both ends of Central Park West, the "alarm" of voices, instruments, and noise-makers came cascading through the streets like a battle cry.

The march lasted several hours and quadrupled the turnout anticipated by its organizers. The crowd slowly began to disperse, and I split off for my bus. At 8PM that evening, we departed New York and drove 26 hours straight through to Little Rock. By the time I made it home, my voice was mostly gone and my muscles were cramped from hopeless attempts at sleep, but I had never felt better. I knew that march was the most important thing I had ever done. For the first time in my life, I felt like I really knew what it meant to live in a democracy and to be a part of meaningful social change.

By Ryan Boswell, guest post.
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People's Climate March

My heartfelt thanks to the many of you who supported those of us who went to New York City for the People's Climate March (PCM) on your behalf. Here is our report back to you, beginning with a few numbers.

We took 110 passengers on two buses. Two-thirds were from Arkansas, nearly a third from Tennessee, and half-a-dozen from Missouri, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama. There were five families, a dozen teenagers altogether, nearly fifty college students (from UCA, Sewanee, and at least four other campuses), non-students in their 20s to 50s, and quite a few seniors (including me). The age range was 13-70. We had racial and ethnic diversity, a range of educational backgrounds, differing religious and faith perspectives, and varied life experiences. This diversity was by design and by providence.

So we did not agree on every point, of course, but what this motley crew had in common was (1) a commitment to fighting man-made global warming and climate change, (2) the awareness that this requires an equal dedication to justice and equality, and (3) a deep sense of compassion and consideration toward all. Our two buses were in essence a microcosm of the PCM.

I should add that on a trip like this there was plenty of opportunity for grumbling and complaining. What I experienced, however, as did all I believe, was patience, graciousness, and frankly love. Remarkable!

The big number is the size of the march itself. One early estimate was 310,000, but by the end of the day many counts were over 400,000. Expectations had been high, but we more than doubled these. The crowd spanned many NY city blocks, took hours to BEGIN marching, and had to be dispersed before the official end of the march due to its size. The motto had been, "to change everything we need everyone" and it seemed as though everyone had shown up.

Ours were among 550 buses plus a number of trains, vans, and rideshares, about 30,000 people from outside the region. In a sense we hardly mattered, with all buses being less than 8% and our own less than a fifth of 1% of the total crowd. In the important sense, though, this is exactly what the march was ALL about. We saw signs from nearly every state and we were representing many more who wanted to be there.

Furthermore, there were at least 2646 other events in 162 countries demanding action on climate change. "Now, more than ever, we are a big, beautiful, unified movement coming together around the world to demand a brighter and more just future for everyone."

The perspective I take from this experience is that humankind is indeed one. Until we understand this fact we are doomed to destroy the Earth and create our own hell. When we truly understand our interconnectedness, however, we can begin to build a world of justice, peace, and prosperity.

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