It’s time for a short break for me! Company has come to town – seven women I have not seen since high school graduation in 1972! The last thing I want to worry about these next few days while we have an amazing reunion (and recovery days afterward!) is posting to this blog, Twitter and Facebook. I’ll be back next week with a couple guest posts and hopefully some writing of my own.

I have gone back to school to be a Residential Planner. It will expand my real estate business, but it’s very time-consuming. And I miss getting up and writing in the morning! I have a few weeks off from school, so I hope to get caught up with desert verde, too, and bring you some original writing.

Meanwhile, go through the drop-downs in the navigation menu at the top of the page, and read Eco-living Tips, the Solar Building Series, and facts and news about Eco Building. Check out the Nature Quotes and Book selections, and visit the ads on the right side of the page to help keep this blog alive! There is lots to see while I’m gone a few days!

(This is a guest post from Roy Gayhart, originally posted on his blog at Whole Solar, a Women Owned Small Business, which is part of an affiliated group of wholesale distributors and manufacturer’s representatives who share a passion for solar energy.)

I just got through listening to President Obama’s speech about the BP Oil Spill. When I wrote the blog What the BP Gulf Oil Spill Means to BP Solar in May, who could have imagined we’d be where we are now? Around that time government officials were estimating that oil was leaking at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day (a five-fold increase from initial estimates). A few days after that blog was written, NPR began reporting that the spill rate could be closer to 70,000 barrels per day. That set off a controversy, with BP’s COO disputing the NPR oilspill estimates. A month later, a US scientific team has fixed the estimates of the oil spill rate at between 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day.

We are in day 57, with no end in sight. We’ve gone from “the largest oil spill in American history” to the “worst environmental disaster in American history.” We continue to hear about the chaotic manner in which BP has handled the crisis. We’ve gone from what was described in that earlier blog to the realization that the BP spill was turning the gulf into a dead zone.

In the earlier post that I’m updating here, I explored the branding repercussions affecting BP Solar. Since then, I as able to access a talk given by a BP Group Vice President of Marketing on April 26, 2001 at The CNN Fortune Time Global Marketing Forum in Rome, Italy. Her talk was titled “Branding in the 21st Century; A BP Perspective.” She points out BP at that time was “a company made up of 100,000 people thrown together as a result of a series of mergers and acquisitions. Almost overnight the new BP became:

> One of the biggest companies in the world with over 100,000 employees worldwide
> The largest oil and natural gas producer in the US and UK
> The largest non-OPEC oil producer in the world
> The world’s largest solar company
> And a company with more than 28,000 service stations world-wide.”

In somewhat of a sad foretelling manner she stated: “I believe at the end of the day, the strongest brands still result from powerful emotional connections that companies are able to make with the general population.” She went on to identify three themes that identify “what people expect, and demand, from great brands:

> Great brands deliver not what a company makes, but what customers need.
> Great brands make a positive impact in people’s lives.
> Great brands demonstrate alignment between external words and internal actions.”

Fast-forward from 2001 to 2010 – I’m reading articles titled You Don’t Trust BP? It’s Too Late, BP and Big Oil: Shut Down America’s Greenwashing Machine and Americans Don’t Care if BP Goes Bankrupt Paying for Oil Spill, Poll Shows. Somehow I doubt this was the branding goal BP had in mind.

So, again I ask, where does this put BP Solar? There hasn’t been a lot of press on BP Solar since the the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Distaster. Renewable Energy World tells us:

BP Solar With over 35 years of experience and installations in over 160 countries, BP Solar is one of the world’s largest solar companies and has manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Spain, India, and China.

As I wrote in the earlier blog, Home Depot has exclusively carried the BP Solar brand. Since I wrote that last blog, Home Depot in California has thrown out all of its long-time loyal solar installers and replaced them with Solar City. Perhaps this is a play to replace a tarnished brand with the Solar City brand. In any event, anyone buying solar panels at a California Home Depot will get BP Solar AND Solar City. This might apply in Home Depot Warehouses outside of California as well. Will it work for Home Depot, Solar City and BP Solar? I guess we continue to wait and see.

The Carson National Forest just announced in The Taos News that fire danger is high. Temperatures are in the 90s, and humidity is low. Even after all that snow in March and April, there is a high risk of fire. It doesn’t take long for things to dry out in the desert!

Fire season officially starts on May 15. Fires can be started by lightning and fireworks, but, more frequently, humans. People burning trash, out-of-town campers, and people throwing cigarettes out of their car windows are all responsible. Once in a while, it is arson. Please be careful!

Whether you live in the beautiful Pinon and Ponderosa forests in New Mexico, or in the mountains of southern California, you can protect your home with firescaping – landscaping for fire resistance.

Create defensible space.

Defensible space is your home and all outbuildings and 30′ of adjacent yard around each. It should be as clear of flammables as possible. If you are on a slope, your defensible space is 100′.

> Use fire-resistant roofing materials – tile and metal instead of wood shakes and shingles.

> Plants with the highest water needs should be closest to the house – groundcovers, lawn, flowers and other herbaceous plants. Do not plant volatile vegetation, such as evergreens, in this area.

> Plant fire-resistant plants.

> Plant in loose clusters, instead of densely.

> Mulch to retain moisture, but do not use pine bark.

> Keep plantings of shrubs and trees to a minimum. Prune them, and keep them in good health. Dead and dry vegetation is wildfire fuel.

> Trees should be pruned at least 10′ off the ground, and branches should not hang over the house.

> Do not plant vines to climb up trees. Ground fires will quickly climb them to the canopy.

> Lawns should be well-watered and cut low.

> Hardscaping – walkways, patios, stone walls, driveways and parking areas- is an effective firebreak.

> Your driveway should be wide enough for fire equipment to come in and turn around.

> Remove flammable vegetation at least 10′ on either side of the driveway.

> Keep leaves and debris out of your gutters.

> Keep your defensible space free of flammable materials, such as wood piles and scrap lumber.

> Keep hoses and tools handy in the event of a fire.

Consult your local county extension office or US Forest Service for information specific to your area.

Photos courtesy Firewise. Learn about Firewise Communities.

> If you have an electric car and charge it through a conventional electric source in the US, you are most likely powering it with coal. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of having an electric car? Sure, you may be reducing your need for oil, but you have increased the need for coal-fired power plants and put a strain on the grid. I have long advocated for a renewable source, such as solar or wind, to charge plug-in electric vehicles. Well, they are finally getting built!

> The news this week is all about the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. Why do we have to keep drilling? Why can’t we see that renewables won’t cause this kind of environmental damage? I know, I know. It’s all about lobbies and money. But the more we demand oil, the more they will keep trying to bring it to us, no matter the cost, environmental, human and financial. How can you reduce demand?

> I take that back. Washington may have seen the light and is re-thinking renewables.

> I thought my house was pretty damn solar! I have passive solar, a solar greenhouse, and solar hot water. Not bad! And I have reduced my energy bills by about half (I also changed out some old windows and insulated my ceiling, so it’s not all attributed to solar….). These folks in Missouri have me beat – they have all that I have, but they also have solar PV.

In honor of Earth Week and Earth Day last week, PBS aired a lot of informative, interesting and well-put-together documentaries. Here’s what moved me.

Food, Inc. (POV) – I already knew most of what was in this documentary, but it was informative to the masses who never ask where their food comes from. If you have not seen it, do. I bet you will seek out organic, local, humanely raised meat after watching it! Question your butcher and your favorite restaurants, too. What you eat out is harder to control than what you prepare at home. Take it a step further and stop eating meat altogether, if you’re interested in truly reducing emissions and your carbon footprint.

DIRT! The Movie (Independent Lens) – Having a degree in horticulture, and gardening professionally and personally for the last 30+ years, I knew most of this information, too. Soil Science was my favorite class. Because of test phobia, I chose to write a 20 page paper on soil formation instead of taking an exam. I almost went on to study further, but all the jobs were in government, and I was clear that was not where I wanted to be.

I resonated with DIRT! The Movie. I know what it’s like to stick your nose in a handful of forest soil and come away like you’ve just smelled deep purple lilacs. I know the feeling of amazement watching a compost pile do its thing – kitchen scraps, grass trimmings and plant stalks gradually turning to black soil that goes back into the garden. This is nature at its core, and the very act of soil generation shows us how the planet takes care of herself. Watch this movie to see the why and the how of aiding that process.

Earth Days (American Experience) – I had to watch this history of Earth Day four times, because I loved it so much. This was the history of the current environmental movement, and it all took place in my entire lifetime.

After World War II, there was a prosperity boom. Suburbs began their sprawl, convenience was the norm, cars were big, and oil was cheap. We also mistakenly believed oil would always be cheap and plentiful, so we used it. Our society was based on it – cars, airplanes, electricity, cities. The smog grew thick in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and our health was threatened by the environment for the first time ever.

Abundance was another keyword of the 50s. Materialism equaled success. Consumption began its out-of-control path, creating the need for more manufacturing plants, energy, oil and transportation.

The Industrial Revolution started this problem, but the prosperity- and abundance-laden 50s catapulted the earth into a cloud of smog.

I was born and grew up in this era. I lived in a suburb with a freezer full of Clarence Birdseye frozen fruits and vegetables and Swanson frozen tv dinners.

My dad drove a few miles to work every day and came home for lunch. My mother drove to town whenever she felt she needed something. She’d make a trip for groceries, and come home. Then she’d go out for stamps, even though she’d passed the post office on her first trip. Maybe she’d go out for shoes later in the day, and if we needed something after school, we’d drive to get it. In the evening, maybe we’d go to the mall (called a ’shopping center’ back then).

The car and what was perceived to be plentiful oil allowed her to do this. And she was not the only one! The 50s were an illusion of freedom, and no one saw the consequences.

‘I voted for the interstate highway program, which I see now is a great mistake.’ Stewart Udall

The 60s

In the 60s, DDT was sprayed liberally in neighborhoods as a convenient way to kill annoying bugs. It was also killing the not-so-annoying varieties as well as the iconic American Bald Eagle. Our national symbol was the first animal on the newly created Endangered Species List.

Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, and this was the beginning of awareness about the ecological devastation caused by pesticide use. Carson showed the interconnectedness of every living thing on the planet and how annihilating one part affected all parts. Our alienation from nature was more than evident. This book is a must read. It was, pardon the cliche, a catalyst for change.

‘I truly believe that we, in this generation, must come to terms with nature, and I think we’re challenged, as mankind has never been before, to prove our maturity and mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.’ Rachel Carson

Rebellion

By the late 60s, ‘the revolution’ was in full swing. Hippies were rebelling against the establishment – government, greed, corporations, cities, money, war, and anything considered traditional and tech-y. The back-to-the-land movement birthed egalitarian communes and simple, natural, spiritual lifestyles with the earth as the centerpiece.

Out of that anti-establishment, back-to-the-land movement came Earth Day in 1970. It was a political act to say Screw You to government and corporations and to bring awareness to their negative affect on our planet. The message was Greed and ecology don’t mix.

Earth Day speeches were about the exact same issues we have today in the exact same words – energy independence, energy conservation, solar, over-population, air pollution, carbon, energy efficiency, overuse of natural resources, Middle Eastern oil.

What has changed?

The rest of the 70s saw President Nixon create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), President Carter put solar panels on the White House, and Americans suffer through the ‘oil embargo’ of 1973. I put that in quotes, because I’m not sure it was real, but it did show us that we were (and still are) at the mercy of the Middle East. Our country was crippled when the price of gas quadrupled in the time span of a few months.

President Reagan took office in 1980, and one of his first acts was to remove Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from the White House (’We lost 30 years.’ Hunter Lovins). He also slashed the budgets of agencies doing environmental work. Any vestige of the rebellious and productive 60s and 70s was gone, and we’ve never regained that momentum.

My Place in It All

What moved me about Earth Days is that I have lived through and witnessed the entire history of the modern environmental movement. I was born into the problem and, proudly, naturally and enthusiastically, became part of the solution. The guests in the show, political and environmental activists in the 60s and 70s, clearly spoke of my experiences and convictions, and that was warm and comforting. I felt like we had grown up together!

Before I saw this, I’d been wondering what my part is in the modern environmental movement. I often feel as though the history has been forgotten, as though the environmental movement just started in the last few years. The history is important! It is who I am, and when people don’t care about that history, I feel invisible and start wondering:

> What is my role, aside from continuing to live lightly?
> I know where I came from, but where am I going?
> Where do I fit in?
> How can I not feel so stagnant?
> What do I have to offer?

What is my role among the 21st century environmental activists, who research environmentalism, teach it and apply it to their lives? I am a 20th century environmentalist, having been been there from the beginning. Where is my place today?

I still haven’t answered those questions, but having spent several evenings with Stewart Udall, Rachel Carson, various scientists, the creators of Earth Day, the author of The Population Bomb, Hunter Lovins, Stephanie Mills and several others, I feel grounded, like my foundation has been rebuilt, like someone understands me. I feel I can move forward, but I’m just not sure to where.

I do see that this is the problem:

‘Every morning, six billion people get up, have breakfast, and go to work, do their thing, and come home at night. Environmental problems emerge out of daily life. The solutions for environmental problems are also rooted in daily life. We need six billion people to get up and have a different consciousness and do things differently.’ Dennis Meadows

And that this is the solution:

‘You owe a responsibility to your children, your grandchildren and their children.’ Stewart Udall

I recommend watching Earth Days to see how it all got started.

(Nan’s Note: These are very simple, basic things everyone can do to reduce their emissions. They’ve been compiled in one place for your reading pleasure and use. Now there is no excuse for not knowing where to find info on greening your world!

Don’t try to do them all at once. People get overwhelmed when they think about having to change their lifestyle to be more eco-friendly. Try one for a week or two, then try another one, then another. Make a gradual transition, and it will likely become your lifestyle. It’s been said that once you do something for three weeks, it becomes a habit. No matter how small a thing you do, it helps. So get started! And share these ideas with your friends and family!)

By Sebrina Smith

Want to make a difference? Try just a few of these 50 ideas.

No matter whether you do all 50, or only one or two, whatever you do will make a difference. Some are simple, some are only for the truly committed. But imagine the possibilities, if everyone did just a little bit everyday to reduce our consumption. The impact would be enormous.

Find 50 at Greenopolis.

(Nan’s Note: We’re on the right track, which I am grateful for. It’s not perfect, but at least New Mexico is doing something.)

Gov. Bill Richardson has painted a target on New Mexico’s coal-fired power plants, saying they provide a major source of electricity for homes and businesses in the state but pump far too much pollution into the air.

Richardson called out the coal plants during his State of the State speech before the Legislature on Tuesday, but his administration says they’re not the only polluters the governor is after.

Find out what else he has in mind at the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Look at a map of coal plants in New Mexico.

(Nan’s Note: Whether you are a business owner or a consumer, these trends should interest you. Business owners, pay attention! Consumers, look for yourself in here, and get realistic! Suzanne twice mentions ‘expectation management,’ which would help avoid misunderstandings and build trust. My favorite trend here is #5. Go read!)

By Suzanne Shelton

Where is green going in 2010? Here are five consumer trends to look for.

Find them at Environmental Leader, another of my favorite sites!

(Nan’s Note: The holidays do not have to be an exercise in mass-consumption a la The Coneheads – ‘Consume. Mass. Quantities.’ The giving meaning of the holidays has gotten lost at the mall, and our society needs to rethink what it means and how to deal with it. I saw a quote today that may help put the holidays into perspective: ‘What would Jesus buy?’ Um… nothing. He would give of himself.

I wrote Creative Christmas Consumption just before Black Friday (what a hideous name for a supposedly joyous holiday event!) to address the shopping, giving and environmental issues, but it bears repeating. I found this article at Alernet this morning, and could not help but share it.)

By Sarah Sloane O’Kelley

The holidays can mean big expenses and lots of waste (not to mention the emotional costs). Here’s how to avoid all that mess.

Our American vision of the holidays is like a Norman Rockwell painting — cheery-faced family members surrounding a table covered with a feast of the richest foods imaginable, and a tree in the background covered with tinsel and lights and surrounded by brightly wrapped boxes in every size and shape imaginable. The turkey is always plump and moist, the gifts are always better than last year’s, and families become closer, having shared such abundance and joy.

Sadly, that’s nowhere near the reality for most of us.

Find out how to ease the environmental and emotional impact of the holiday season at Alternet.

(Nan’s Note: I shouted Yes! Yes! Yes! when I read this opinion piece in the Washington Post this morning! I have been saying this for years! The general public will not voluntarily ‘go green’ in a big way. Yes, they do the small things, and I always say that every action helps, but for major conservation efforts, I truly believe we must THINK BIG! Read this to find out what that is.)

By Mike Tidwell

As President Obama heads to Copenhagen next week for global warming talks, there’s one simple step Americans back home can take to help out: Stop “going green.” Just stop it. No more compact fluorescent light bulbs. No more green wedding planning. No more organic toothpicks for holiday hors d’oeuvres.

…snip…

‘Pick up a phone, open a laptop, or travel to a U.S. Senate office near you and turn the tables: “What are the 10 green statutes you’re working on to save the planet, Senator?”‘

Read the entire article at The Washington Post. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mike!)