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Coca-Cola and WWF Team to Save the Yangtze

Leon Kaye — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:46:05 +0000

China's Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world. It flows for 4000 miles, starts in the Tibetan Plateau, wanders eastward towards Shanghai, and eventually dumps into the East China Sea. Its basin contains about 40% of the freshwater for China's 1.3 billion people. Many animals, including the rare Siberian crane, clouded leopard, and of course, the iconic panda, rely on the Yangtze. With over 700 tributaries flowing into this massive river, the Yangtze's total square footage is more than triple California’s size.

Rapid population growth and industrialization have exacted huge tolls on the Yangtze. The natural forest cover has fallen by two-thirds over the past 50 years, and resulted in the slippage of over 680 million tons of mud into the river. Meanwhile, over 500 dams (including the massive Three Gorges) have jolted the Yangtze's natural course—many lakes have been cut off from the river as well. Add increased contamination, and you have a continuous environmental and potentially economic disaster in the making.

Now corporations operating in the world's most populous country realize that it is in their best long-term interest to stem the slow destruction of the Yangtze, which is critical for the survival for scores of millions of Chinese who depend on the river for survival. One such company is Coca-Cola, which has entered into a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to improve the water quality in the western stretches of the Yangtze.

Coca-Cola's executive team in China has already committed itself to improved sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives. But for the company to expand its business—sales increased in China almost 20% last year while falling 1% in the US—Coca-Cola must address water security. To a company with a product line composed mostly of water, tackling water issues is smart business, or else its operations will not continue much longer.

The Coca-Cola/WWF partnership works on three fronts. First, they lead watershed management projects in two crucial upper Yangtze tributaries. For example, one project works with farmers to encourage them to prevent the runoff of pig waste into water, diverting the material into bio-gas.

Bottling plants in the Yangtze basin also adopted best practices for water usage, to the point at which they can claim “water neutrality.” Coca-Cola is improving water recycling at the company's factories, and is encouraging the same throughout its supply chain. Both Coke and WWF staff also work with Chinese sugar farmers to streamline their production and reduce water use.

The partnership faces several challenges. Chinese government officials tend to avoid non-profits, choosing to micro-manage such work through locally-approved NGOs. WWF has faced criticism from other advocacy groups because of its cooperation with corporations that they view as the gist of the problem.

Perhaps some would prefer that the Chinese simply drink tea out of large glass jars, as my memory recalls when I first visited China in 1996. But with growing affluence comes evolving consumer tastes. Coca-Cola realizes that it cannot survive without clean sources of water. And by working with an organization like the WWF that has the capacity and know-how, together they may halt, or even reverse, the damage that has ruined the Yangtze since the end of World War II. Finally, another 5 of the world's 10 most polluted rivers are also on this partnership's target list—that cannot be bad trend.

Read articles like this and others by Leon Kaye on Triple Pundit.

Amsterdam: The Water Is Not That Pristine

Leon Kaye — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:43:34 +0000

Due to a threat to beat me to the punch from my lovely hosts yesterday evening, I have to go ahead and disclose a travel mishap.

I learned the hard way that Amsterdam’s sustainability is not all that it is cracked up to be. For a beautiful city whose citizens do what they can to temper their impact on the planet, their canals are Exhibit of A of what often goes awry.

Amsterdam’s citizens use the canals as a trash bin: the occasional shopping cart, bicycle locks and parts, beer bottles, and lordy, lordy who knows what else. During the canal tour that my gracious hosts gave to me last evening, we threw in pistachio shells, so hey, we were part of the issue.

Well, during a split second that I beg to have back, but won’t ever regain, I lost my balance as I tried getting out of the boat and tumbled into the water. Oh man, it was gross. Eric and Vicky, who I met at the GRI Conference, were amazed at my reflexes. But one of them also noted that all the trash in the water helped to trampoline me back out of the water in a split second. We all had a good laugh. What else do you do when you return your hosts’ hospitality with a dunk in a 400 year old canal?

The bruise on my leg is pretty bad: the searing of my ego was far worse. The gawking of two Dutch traffic cops didn’t help matters. A glass of wine and some broccoli soup later, and bundled in borrowed clothes, I was fine.

So for the tourists who have a bit too much fun in A’dam and feel a little leak won’t harm anything, I beg you: the waste disposal methods of the 17^th century are past us: think about those who have a problem with balance!

A Canal View of Climate Change

Leon Kaye — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:06:45 +0000

Before the GRI Conference began on Wednesday, the City of Amsterdam invited us to spend the morning on a canal tour of the city. The Netherlands is quite vested in reversing the role that climate is having on our planet--most of the country lies below sea level, so the threat of rising oceans is one taken seriously. Amsterdam's canals date from the 17th century and leave a distinctive imprint on this city of 750,000. To give you just an idea of the city's take on sustainability and how it's interwoven in just about every single decision the city's leaders take, click on the 100 second brief video below.

The Aral Sea – A Glimpse of the 21st Century?

Leon Kaye — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:30:24 +0000

If you want an idea of how water will become volatile issue during this coming century, take a look at the Aral Sea. Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the lake is now a mere 10% sad shadow of its former self.

The decline began during the Soviet era, when massive irrigation projects diverted water from the Aral Sea, which now straddles the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Once marked by the 1500 islands that dotted the lake, the lake is now split into three smaller lake, each coping with catastrophic environmental pollution issues.

Despite Kazakhstan’s efforts to revive the lake, the Aral Sea may very well be doomed. Nearby Tajikistan is holding on to a hydroelectric plant that it feels is necessary for reviving its economy, making regional cooperation on renewing this lake near impossible.

The results have been devastating. Once home to a thriving fishing and shipping industry, unemployment is now rampant. The dust bowl that has replaced the lake has caused a myriad of health problems, and the local climate has become hotter and drier.

Twenty years since the Soviet Union’s collapse, its mismanagement of its economy and people still leave cruel effects. The Aral Sea is sadly one of them.

Biotech Healing in San Joaquin Valley

Leon Kaye — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:41:22 +0000

Much has been made of the San Joaquin Valley's water problems. Too many farms did not get the water they needed, which destroyed their owners' and workers' livelihoods. Of course, there is plenty of water underground; the problem is that it has been poisoned with toxins such as selenium, boron, and other mineral salts. Much of this farmland, centered in west Fresno County has been lost because of the contamination, but there could be a clean tech solution on the way.

A Fresno County farmer, John Diener, and a Colorado biotech firm, New Sky Energy, are partnering in finding a solution that solves a few problems: providing fresh water for irrigation, removing this toxic water, and providing revenue that can offset the price of desalinisation, which still is too pricey and energy intensive to implement on a wide scale.

New Sky's technology will allow about 200 gallons a minute to be cleaned and filtered. Several tons of salts are expected to be removed from the water, which Diener in turn can turn around and sell to companies that can process it for plastics and other industrial uses. The federal government estimates that to clean up all this contaminated land will cost about $2.7 billion. New Sky's process will cost about $2500 per acre-foot (about 326,000 gallons) of water; with the sale of these removed chemicals, the cost could dip to about $300 an acre-foot.

Will this work? Even Mr. Diener is not entirely sure. Desalinisation schemes have been tried in the past, only to have failed. I have seen comments stating that this is just another wasteful government scheme. Environmentalists pooh-pooh this as not going far enough? Is this a huge project? No? Should it be pursued? Absolutely.

We can slam the San Joaquin Valley all we want for the environmental degradation that has occurred over the past couple generations. Of course, the same people that often sneer at our valley cousins are also the same ones who coo and gush over the organic produce in Santa Cruz and Santa Monica . . . which often comes from . . . Fresno. Viewing these farms as just one big polluting agribusiness monstrosity is short-sighted; there are many family-owned farms here that grow spectacular crops. And finally, I don't see an alternative. Should we just throw up our hands and have our produce come from Mexico, where we have absolutely no oversight, while using more and more fuel that would be required to ship all these crops from south of the border?

To those that just see New Sky's work as big government, my suggestion would be to talk to farmers like John Diener. He has worked on water issues for years, and has served on the board of the Westlands Farm District. Desalinisation and other clean tech processes are becoming more cost-effective, necessary for them to gain wider traction. If this project succeeds, more farmers will be interested, and more people will win. People always listen to their peers. And hopefully, more people will be employed.

The best way to solve problems like this water contamination issue is to engage farmers like Diener, and offer them a solution. With the water shortages confronting California, ideas like New Sky's have got to be considered and researched. Less sanctimonious banter on one side, and a receptive mind to new ideas on the other, will help heal this region that is so important to California's economy and way of life.

How We Live: Armenians Living on the Margins

Leon Kaye — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:00:09 +0000

Armenia is not an easy place to live. Landlocked, isolated, and surrounded by either hostile or unstable neighbors (Armenia's southern border with Iran is its most reliable lifeline), Armenia struggled after gaining independence from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Earlier this decade, Armenia sported one of the highest growth rates in the world, but the recent global economic slowdown has kicked Armenia in the shins. Despite the problems from the lack of resources, corruption, and a brain drain, most visitors to Armenia would think that based on all the activity and reconstruction in downtown Yerevan, the country is doing just fine.

But Armenia is struggling. The World Bank estimates that 28% of its people live in poverty.

Last weekend we attended opening night for How We Live, a stunning display of Sara Anjargolian's photos that shows the cruel struggles that several Armenian families confront daily. The exhibit's curator is Narineh Mirzaeian, a Los Angeles-based designer and architect at Gehry Partners. Sara, a city attorney by day and an accomplished photographer, has visited Armenia countless times, and her most recent trips have documented the hardships of some of Armenia's poorest families.

How We Live puts a knot in your chest from all the emotions that run through your body. On one hand, the exhibit is one of the most breathtaking photo exhibitions I have ever seen: 40 large prints are suspended by intertwined wires that almost make you feel as if you are experiencing these families' pain. The exhibit reveal's Sara's strength and success in completing this project: rather than carrying herself as a voyeuristic photographer, she took pains to acquaint herself with these families, earning their trust. The results are photos that make you feel connected with the families and their stories; at the same time, the modern setting in the Atwater Village warehouse in which these photos soar remind you that you are in a safe, affluent society, light years away from the harsh reality of Armenian poverty.

What struck me is Ruzana Sarkisian's story:

(Ruzana) and her four children have lived in a tin shack since 1992. For 12 years, they had no electricity. One night, Ruzana got in bed in the darkness and did not see that a scorpion had crawled underneath the covers. She was bitten by the scorpion and incapacitated for over a month. The nearest water source to the Sarkisian’s shack is a one-hour roundtrip walk – a trip the four Sarkisian children take turns making every day to carry water home. The family scavenges in the local garbage dump to collect plastics, metals, and glass to sell for food money. The Sarkisians do not have a toilet, they have been using the open fields around their shack as their toilet since 1992. - Nubarashen neighborhood, Yerevan, Armenia, 2009. - Quoted from email correspondence with Sara Anjargolian

Lack of safe, clean water has a heinous tie to poverty. Most studies estimate that about 1 billion people like Ruzana's family have no acccess to clean water; and about 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Families like Ruzana's cannot hope to be productive members of society if they cannot even benefit from the most basic needs.

Please see more information at the How We Live site. Sara Anjargolian's work can be viewed here.

Click here to donate to the Tufenkian Foundation and learn more about its work, which benefited from How We Live's opening night.

Despite their dire situation, many of the people Sara profiled still have hope. Let's make sure that society gives them a chance.

The exhibit is still open, well worth the visit if you are in Southern California:

Gallery hours:
Friday April 2: 7-10pm
Saturday April 10: 6-10pm
Sunday April 18: 6-9pm
*EXHIBIT CLOSES APRIL 18

Casitas Studios
3229 Casitas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90039 (Atwater Village)

Schools and community groups may email info@howwelive.org to schedule tours.

Special thanks to Sara Anjargolian for sharing these photos with us.

Water Wars: The Floodgates Have Opened!

Leon Kaye — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:39:19 +0000

Wow. Two weeks ago I posted a short film I did with Patrick Benson on LA's tenuous relationship with water. And as I often do weekly, I posted the link to most of the LinkedIn groups to which I belong. From a bird's eye view, the results were interesting: I think few actually watched the film, but I sure got a lot of comments based on my title, which was "Is water really the next oil?"

The discussions are still flying on LinkedIn. Most were engaging, and I was so overwhelmed I wasn't able to reply to all of them. Some were snarky, such as the suggestion that water issues will far outlive social media (which was used, of course, to post that response). Perhaps one issue was that for Los Angeles resident to start a topic on water is like having a congressional staffer in Washington, DC dish out thoughts on partisanship. Anyway, let me share some highlights with some topics discussed with my thoughts.

Desalinisation. Many heated discussions started over this topic. Some saw it as a panacea: others saw it as expensive and destructive. In an ideal world, I would see it if renewable energy technologies could fuel this energy-intensive technology. I'm not a scientist, but using "X" amount of energy to create "Y" amount of potable water sounds like an ecological, and economic catastrophe, to me.

Conservation. It's amazing how challenging economic times can bring back terms like "conservation" that seem dated, but it's true. Californians are an easy target, but the fact is, we are leaders when it comes to energy and water conservation. It seems odd to me that areas with the least amounts of water often have NO water metering!

Moving water from Canada using a pipeline. I would posit that Canadians would give up poutine, hockey, and the Queen on their currency (not necessarily in that order) before they'd be willing to see this resource flow south of the border. Perhaps the scenario of polar ice caps melting could make this the new gold. This hypothetical may be fodder for a South Park movie sequel, with Obama and Harper caricatures jousting each other into war, and not over Terrance and Phillip.

Installing grey water or waste water treatment systems on residential properties. One huge issue that irks me is using perfectly fine drinking water to irrigate our landscaping, or worse wash our car. And most communities have restrictions banning the installation of such systems. One word: ridiculous. That has got to change.

Stay tuned. Many professionals who responded stated that they think the 21st century could be an ugly one, fueled by conflicts over water rights from Mexico to Pakistan. We'll revisit this in the year 2110.

California's Central Valley. The Economist had a recent article calling this reason the next Appalachia. Since my roots are in the San Joaquin Valley, I really do hope not. When I'm back, I'll have more to say about that.

My previous posting did not have the movie file URL embedded in the email, so if you missed it, please take a look. And please appreciate Patrick Benson's great work. He is very talented and a great person to work with!

So how do we solve this problem? I welcome your thoughts.

Filtrado de una solución – Filtering for a solution

Soledad Obregon and Leon Kaye — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:00:47 +0000

It has been my pleasure to work on this article with Soledad Obregon, a graduate student at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires, or ITBA). This article will be in Spanish and English, and to honor the success that the ITBA group had in Corrientes, Argentina, this article will be in Spanish and then an English translation will follow.

El agua es una de las necesidades humanas más básicas, sin embargo, es uno de los problemas más difíciles que enfrenta la sociedad. La mayoría de nosotros, sin embargo, realmente no pone mucha atención en el agua que consumimos. Es posible que una persona moleste si un río o lago se contamina, pero la mayoría de nosotros se deshace de productos por el desagüe sin pensar en que eso también contribuye a la contaminación. Además hay cuestiones relacionadas a la utilización de productos químicos en nuestras casas y patios. Algunas de esas toxinas terminan en la bahía local o río, pero hay una buena probabilidad de que se filtre, llegando así a nuestras aguas subterráneas.

Muchos países en vías de desarrollo y desarrollados, se basan en las aguas subterráneas para satisfacer las necesidades de su población. La disminución de las aguas subterráneas, o se hunde, es un resultado desafortunado. En los Estados Unidos, desde el Valle de San Joaquín a la zona de Nueva Orleans, los problemas ambientales y estructurales derivados de la extracción de agua subterránea presentan a los ingenieros civiles de todo tipo de dilemas. La contaminación, sin embargo, es otro problema a largo plazo que puede dejar terribles efectos en las personas de las diversas generaciones, actuales y posteriores. Mientras que los problemas pueden surgir de la actividad industrial o por causas natural, al extraer más agua subterránea, los problemas resultantes sólo se multiplican.

Una región muy afectada es Corrientes, una provincia en el noreste de Argentina que es el hogar de aproximadamente 930.000 personas. Corrientes tiene un lugar especial en el corazón de los argentinos, como el ataque de Paraguay en esta provincia, que provocó a la Argentina declarar la guerra a su vecino en el siglo xix la Guerra de la Triple Alianza, la guerra más sangrienta y destructiva jamás vista en América del Sur. Pero ahora, Corrientes se enfrenta a muchos problemas: su economía está estancada, con ingresos per cápita menores a la media nacional, un legado de propiedad de la tierra concentrada en unas pocas familias ricas ha sometido a muchos de sus habitantes a la pobreza, y gran parte de la inestabilidad política de la Argentina tiene su epicentro en Corrientes. Situado entre dos grandes ríos, Corrientes también se ve afectada por frecuente amenaza de inundaciones. Además, muchos de sus residentes dependen del agua subterránea para sus necesidades diarias del hogar y la agricultura, y en ella se esconde una amenaza inquietante: el agua en toda la provincia contiene altos niveles de arsénico.

Lamentablemente, los gobiernos locales, necesitados de fondos, en realidad no puede hacer mucho para poner en práctica soluciones a grande escala que permitan combatir la amenaza del arsénico. La formación de arsénico a menudo se produce naturalmente, por la actividad volcánica y por reacciones biológicas y químicas naturales. El tratamiento de los niveles de arsénico es caro y consume mucha energía. Pero hay una solución en el camino. Dirigido por la Profesora María Marta Fidalgo, un grupo de investigadores y estudiantes de grado en el Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA) han desarrollado una tecnología para filtrar el arsénico y otros contaminantes, utilizando poca energía y, a un costo bajo.

El equipo de Fidalgo, mediante nanotecnología, reproduce partículas diminutas de óxido de hierro en pequeños tubos porosos de cerámica. Este material se le da forma a un filtro que permite el paso del agua, reteniendo las partículas de arsénico. El proceso es llamado adsorción, definido como la adhesión de moléculas a una superficie. Permítanme explicar en términos laicos ': usted es un amante de las pepitas de chocolate, y quiere aumentar al máximo la cantidad que utiliza al hornear un pastel. Usted puede cocinar un pastel enorme y colocar el chocolate en la parte superior y los lados. O, usted puede cortar el pastel en muchas piezas diferentes (o hacer cupcakes!), y cubrir todas las superficies, utilizando mayor cantidad en el proceso.

La belleza de esta tecnología es que las membranas no tiene que ser sustituidas, los filtros solo deben ser periódicamente dependiendo de la cantidad de agua filtrada y los niveles de concentración de arsénico que se acumula. Además, los residuos resultantes se reunen y pueden ser desechados sin contaminar el ambiente. Las membranas son relativamente baratos, también: uno de sus alumnos, Soledad de Obregón, me explicó que sólo cuestan unos 9 euros cada uno.

Esta tecnología ya ha encontrado el éxito: sin financiación del gobierno o del sector privado, el equipo de Fidalgo es investigado y desarrollado la tecnología. Estos fondos sólo se han recibido del ITBA, y Pérez Companc SA, una empresa de energía de Argentina, donó el espacio de laboratorio en el que el equipo ha trabajado. El año pasado, el equipo del ITBA viajó a Stuttgart, Alemania, para participar en el Mondialogo, una conferencia técnica patrocinada por la UNESCO y Daimler. Junto a la Universidad de Lehigh de Pensilvania, ganaron el premio de plata en el concurso de la ingeniería. Con los € 10.000 adjudicados a ellos, se distribuirán los filtros en Sauce, una localidad rural de alrededor de 9.000 personas en el suroeste de Corrientes. El equipo viaja a Corrientes por 10 días en febrero, así que esperar un informe de seguimiento de ellos!

Es la esperanza de este grupo que su tecnología puede extenderse no sólo en Corrientes, sino en toda la Argentina y más allá de sus fronteras a través de América Latina. El principal problema es la financiación, en este momento su equipo está donando sus filtros a los residentes, aunque podrían utilizar algo de ayuda financiera. Para obtener más información, por favor, póngase en contacto el grupo aquí.

Se habla mucho sobre los activistas en el mundo por el desarrollo sustentable, pero la verdad, son ingenieros y científicos como Fidalgo y su alumnos los que encuentran las soluciones más rentables. Necesitamos más de ellos.

English Translation:

Water is one of the most basic human needs, yet is one of the most difficult problems facing society. Most of us, however, really do not put much thought into the water we use. We may get upset if a local river or lake becomes polluted, but most of us will dump products down the drain without really thinking about where that stuff goes. Then there are the issues of using chemicals in our homes and yards. Some of those toxins ends up in the local bay or river; but there's a good chance it seeps into our groundwater.

Many developing, and developed countries, rely on groundwater to meet their population's needs. Groundwater subsidence, or sinking, is one unfortunate result. In the United States, from the San Joaquin Valley to the New Orleans area, environmental and structural problems resulting from extracting groundwater is presenting civil engineers all kinds of dilemmas. Contamination, however, is another long term problem that can leave horrific effects on people for generations.

One such affected region is Corrientes, a province in northeast Argentina that is home to about 930,000 people. Corrientes has a special place in Argentines' hearts, as Paraguay's attack on this province sparked Argentina to declare war on its neighbor during the nineteenth century War of the Triple Alliance, the bloodiest and most destructive war ever in South America. But now Corrientes is facing many problems: its economy is stagnant, with per capita income half of the national average; a legacy of land ownership concentrated among a few wealthy families has subjected too many of its residents to poverty; and much of Argentina's political volatility has its epicenter in Corrientes. Lying between two large rivers, Corrientes also deals with the frequent threat of floods. Finally, many of its residents rely on groundwater for their daily household and farming needs, and therein lies a disturbing threat: water throughout this province contains high levels of arsenic.

Unfortunately, local governments, strapped for cash, really cannot do much to implement scalable solutions to combat the threat of arsenic. Arsenic formation often occurs naturally, by volcanic activity or natural chemical and biological reactions. Treating arsenic levels is expensive and consumes much energy. But there is a solution on the way. Led by Professor María Marta Fidalgo, a group of researchers and graduate students at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA) has developed a technology to filter out arsenic and other contaminants, using little energy and at a low cost.

Fidalgo's team, using nanotechnology, embeds tiny iron oxide particles on tiny porous aluminum tubes, developing tube-like ceramic pipes that works as filters. As water is forced through the tube walls, arsenic is retained in these filters. The process is called adsorption, defined as the adhesion of molecules to a surface. Let me explain in laypersons' terms: you are a chocolate chip fiend, and you want to maximize the amount you use when you bake a cake. You can bake a huge cake and layer the chips on the top and sides. Or, you can cut the cake in many different pieces (or make cupcakes!), and cover all the surfaces, using more chocolate chips in the process.

The beauty of this technology is that the membranes do not have to be replaced; the filters just need to be periodically depending on the amount of water filtered and levels of concentrated arsenic that is accumulated. The resulting waste gathered in those filters then can be safely disposed. The membranes are relatively cheap, too: one of her students, Soledad Obregon, explained to me that they only cost around 9 euros each.

This technology has already found success: without any funding from government or the private sector, Fidalgo's team researched and developed the technology. The only funding they received were from ITBA, and Perez Companc S.A., an Argentinian energy company, donated the laboratory space in which the team worked. Last year, the ITBA's team traveled to Stutgart, Germany, to participate in Mondialogo, a technical conference sponsored by UNESCO and Daimler. Parterning with Pennsylvania's Lehigh University, they won the silver award in the engineering competition. With the 10,000 euros awarded to them, they are now distributing the filters in Sauce, a rural town of about 9,000 people in southwest Corrientes. The team is traveling to Corrientes for 10 days in February, so I expect a follow-up report from them!

It is Fidalgo and her team's hope that their technology can spread not only throughout Corrientes, but throughout Argentina and beyond its borders through Latin America. The main issue is funding: right now their team is donating their filters to Sauce residents, but they could use some financial help. To learn more, please contact Obregon here.

We hear a lot about activists in the world of sustainability, but truthfully, it is engineers and scientists like Fidalgo and her studens that will find the most cost effective solutions. We need more of them.

LA’s Fragile Water Supply

Leon Kaye — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:01:47 +0000

Los Angeles and water sure have a sordid history together. Of course there's the 1974 movie, Chinatown, that sums up the backroom deals and violence that worked to bring water to a thirsty and ambitious Southern California. Now we are on the verge of another chapter in the "water wars," as years of drought, increasing population, and frustration elsewhere in California threaten to disrupt the way of life to which Angelinos have grown accustomed.

So we created a short film that can be viewed on YouTube or Vimeo. We believe that having a little debate focused on Silver Lake could present an idea of all the complexities that are involved with this issue. Silver Lake was one of the first reservoirs built in Los Angeles, and became the center of what would become a vibrant neighborhood. Oddly enough, local residents never received water from this source; most of the water was diverted to areas south of downtown LA. When the city suggested paving over the reservoir, turning it into a local aquifer, locals had a fit and demanded that the lake be preserved. However, sunlight, reacting to the chlorine, has created bromate, rendering the water useless for human consumption, so now the water is a pretty backdrop for its surrounding homes. Meanwhile, the adjacent reservoir, Ivanhoe, sports millions of black plastic balls that are supposed to prevent such a chemical reaction from repeating . . . again resulting in residents upset at the eyesore . . . though the wisdom of all that plastic floating in the water merits its own debate.

So can LA afford pretty spots of local water?

And what can the city do in ensuring a steady source of water in the future?

None of us has all the answers, but we hope this film makes you more aware of the issues involved with water, which one could argue is LA's largest import. We look at the history of water sourcing in Los Angeles and one of many current controversies swirling around this priceless resource.

I had the opportunity to work with Patrick Benson, a talented filmmaker, on the project. This 5 minute film took about 2 months. Patrick meticulously sorted through film archives to find the old photos and film footage; we shared the writing. Ara Babaian and Annie Wang were our helpful production assistants.

Water: the message of Election 2010

Leon Kaye — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:20:05 +0000

This Monday I attended a talk that Dr. Richard Bernard gave at the California Endowment. Dr. Bernard is a consultant at Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates, a public opinion firm based in Santa Monica that has worked on many high-profile campaigns in California. During his 90 minute discussion, he spoke about the political climate in California and the United States and what advocates in California can do in order for measures ranging from the preservation of open space to statewide water initiatives succeed in what is a very challenging environment.

Many environmentalists and other sustainability advocates are concerned over the future of their causes. And they should be. In public opinion surveys, the percentage of Americans who believe in global warming has declined about 20% in just two years. Unemployment is at a festering 10%, so folks feel jobs are more important than the environment. The political climate is also polarized, pierced with invective that makes the Clinton years look like a long joyful Cub Scout meeting. I would posit that the folks who are in a tizzy over how their agenda will fare at the ballot box and in Congress should start by taking a look at themselves. While I have believed in sustainability issues long before they became trendy or hip, I have always believed that the problems the environmental movement had is not in the message, but in the messenger. Self described "environmentalists" or "activists" tend to be shrill and sanctimonious, dismissing anyone who disagrees with them as clueless country bumpkins. I know I am generalizing, but attitudes like those are not uncommon.

So what are activists to do this election cycle? Dr. Bernard made some interesting points:

"The environment" just does not resonate with voters now--and it did not in 2008. Not one poll crunching the 2008 numbers showed more than 1% of voters stating that the environment was a factor in their vote at the polls.

While the raw numbers of people who believe in climate change has dropped, concerns on the environment, and a belief that it is getting worse, are still there as implied in polling numbers.

To pass a local or statewide measure at the ballot box, water must somehow be part of the package: Californians are concerned about their water supply and quality and will support measures to that end.

Emphasizing financial accountability and transparency in any ballot measure has got to be crystal clear.

The choice of words that ballot measure proponents use can make a difference in how voters will respond to it at the polls. Using jargon or clichés like "biodiversity" and even "environment" conjure images of Al Gore and other public figures who are extremely polarizing.

Some of Dr. Bernard's suggestions are as follows:

Words to Avoid	Words to Use
Environment	Land, air, and water
Ecosystems	Natural areas
Urban sprawl	Poorly planned growth or development
Regulations	Safeguards and protections

It is easy to just throw up our hands and assume that the oil companies and financial firms will just have their way. But Dr. Bernard insisted that if San Juan Capistrano, an Orange County Republican stronghold, can pass an open space initiative when they were still paying off another open space bond issuance from 1990, with the right message, and with at least a token approach towards safeguarding California's water supply, the air, land, and renewable energy technologies can win at the ballot box.

In contrast, if a group emphasizes an issue like air quality, they face an uphill battle? Why? While air quality may not be stellar in California, many of us do remember the smog days of the 1960s and 1970s . . . those days are gone, and California has actually done a fair job ensuring that air pollution levels do not get worse. Meanwhile, we are all worried about water, so work it into that ballot measure!

I have always believed that good jobs and a healed earth do not have to be mutually exclusive. But if politicians and advocacy groups muddle the message, voters will turn away from the green d0-gooders in droves.

A Watershed Moment in LA

Leon Kaye — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:21:06 +0000

Last week's rains reminded me of the fragility of our water supply in Southern California. While the rain is always welcome for its clearing of the air and the resulting soft green carpets that cover Los Angeles, I cannot help but wonder where all that precious water is going. Most of us are concerned over landslides, but if you live in the beach communities, you are often reminded after a rain, you cannot swim for several days because pollution levels in the water spike.

Before Los Angeles County became home to 10 million people, you had the untouched Los Angeles and San Gabriel watershed. Water from snow and rain ended up in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers, and eventually flowed into the Pacific Ocean. During the 20th century, both rivers were subjected to dams and concrete channeling, and runoff from areas paved with asphalt and cement completely changed the rivers' ecology (or technically, hydrology), resulting in many endangered and many lost species.

The rivers' alteration over time have also caused other problems:

The high risk of flooding due to runoff having no where to go: concrete and asphalt do not exactly absorb water well.
Polluted beaches and a filthy ocean: all that runoff is transporting household and industrial pollutants.
Poor groundwater quality--what on earth is going into our underground aquifers?
More pressure on LA's water supply: if we cannot capture water here, we need more from Northern California or outside the state--a resource no one wants schleped to the Southland.

Enter the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, or LASGRWC. This organization led the Watershed Augmentation Study, or WAS. Started 10 years ago as a partnership between local, state, and federal entities, The LASGRWC determines how LA can better capture storm water to reduce toxic runoff to the rivers and ocean while increasing local water supplies.

The WAS found no evidence of significant groundwater quality degradation from the infiltration of stormwater. The LASGRWC, City of Los Angeles, TreePeople, and partners are close to completing the Elmer Avenue Neighborhood Retrofit in Sun Valley, located in northeast San Fernando Valley. A bevy of solutions are underway here: the planting of drought-tolerant landscapes, installing more permeable surfaces, adding more greenspace and wildlife habitat areas, and storage facilities that will capture water for reuse or infiltration. The project also involves planting street-side stormwater gardens and driveway drains that will divert runoff from residential lots along Elmer Avenue. A large infiltration system under the site will capture and infiltrate runoff from the street that is not trapped by the landscapes above ground.

The project involves many partners, including Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Water Resources (Proposition 50), Metropolitan Water District, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, City of Los Angeles Watershed Protection Division, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, Councilman Tony Cardenas, City of Santa Monica, Pomona College, TreePeople, and UC Riverside.

The Elmer Avenue Neighborhood Retrofit should be finished in February 2010 in time to infiltrate the remaining winter storms. If you have questions, you can contact Edward Belden, the water programs manager. To learn more about your "water footprint" and how you can have a role in reducing water pollution and waste, click here.

The Brazilian Decade?

Leon Kaye — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:51:02 +0000

Happy New Year and New Decade! From the "buzz" I've heard, 2010 will be a pivotal year for those involved in the sustainability movement. New technologies advancing smart grid and electric vehicles may (or may not) take off, and investment and opportunities in renewable and alternative fuels may (or may not) surge. GreenGoPost plans on also focusing on one of the world's most important nations that may (or may not) have an even greater role on the global scene: Brazil.

Brazil is a fascinating study of contrast. Its people are among the world's most religious, despite its reputation for decadence and flamboyance. Historically its leadership has scorned free markets and free trade, while diverting its tax revenues to the wealthiest who least need the additional funds. If you are a frequent flier, you probably have flown a Brazilian jet, but in business, you have probably never operated a Brazilian software program or electronic product. Its local cuisine is diverse and delicious, but most of us have only purchased Brazil's orange juice, beef, or soy . . . without even knowing it. Technically this nation, about the size of the continental US, has one of the largest road systems in the world--but only 12% of it is paved. The contrasts are many, which make Brazil and its people fascinating and engaging.

One such contrast is the attention given to Brazil's land management. For a generation we have been hearing the threats to the Amazonian rain forest, while another huge ecosystem is endangered: Brazil's cerrado, its huge tropical savanna of 770,000 square miles that serves as a buffer between the Amazon and its coastal regions. This swath of land that stretches from its border with Paraguay to its northeastern coast is disappearing quickly; estimates suggest that almost half of it has been lost.

The cerrado is a relatively dry region, hosting many species of drought-resistant plants along with animals that depend on them. Most of the land here was arid and not usable until the Brazilian government realized that phosphates and land could be added to the soil, turning the region into a huge expanse of farmland that is behind much of Brazil's commodities boom. Grains and cotton are now grown, livestock is raised, and charcoal from here is now harvested for Brazil's steel industry. Meanwhile, native plants that have potentially huge health and wealth benefits are now threatened. The pesticides and other chemicals propping up the new cerrado's new crops are infiltrating into the cerrado's watershed, which is much of the source for the Amazon and other large rivers that offer Brazil much of its ecological--and economic--riches. Perhaps Brazilians could look to California's Central Valley as an example of what will happen if the land is not managed better: the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys were once "marginal" lands that housed only "scrub," "shrub," and "wasteland." Now this region is the breadbasket for the United States, and is now an economic and environmental mess, with some of the highest levels of pollution in North America . . . with huge political fights over water rights that sadly have left far too many orchards left for dead while toxins like selenium render some land unusable.

The controversy over the cerrado has even spilled into this year's presidential election in Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's environment minister, Marina Silva, resigned in 2008 because of the administration's policy (or lack thereof) towards the Amazon and cerrado, and the election most likely will pit her against Dilma Rousseff, da Silva's hand-picked candidate.

Brazil has much to be excited about this decade: after generations of frustrated promises, the nation has shed an awful legacy of mismanagement under military dictatorships, inflation and debt are under control, and the country will host the World Cup and Summer Olympics in the coming years. And Brazil has always been a leader in design and fashion. Brazilians have a land full of blessings; let's hope they manage their resources well, because as the science often suggests, we all depend on Brazil's lush land.

I welcome your comments, especially if you can tell me where I can score some baru nuts, one cerrado plant that is under threat from Brazilian agribusiness.

Paris: A Perfect Storm

Leon Kaye — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:40:53 +0000

With all the fretting Los Angeles civic leaders and residents have about our city's water supply, we could take a look at Mulholland Drive, and then nine time zones away to see what's going on in Paris.

Los Angeles has a dry climate--but on average the city receives about 15 inches of water a year--not enough to water everyone's lawns and support non-native palm trees, but plenty to justify the investment in better storm water trapping and storage infrastructure.

TreePeople, the Los Angeles non-profit working on increasing the number of trees in Los Angeles, is off to a great start. High above the city on Mulholland Drive, the organization opened its Center for Community Forestry, where its staff and volunteers demonstrate how trees, people, and technology can coexist for a greener and more sustainable future. Under the grounds is a 70 by 8 feet cistern, a 216,000 gallon underground tank that collects rainwater from rooftops and the parking lots. The Center collects enough water during the year so that it can meet all of its water supplies without tapping city supplies.

Now let's shift to Paris; Paris gets a little more rain than LA (25 inches per year), but the city was aware that far too much rain water was wasted and causing environmental damage. Recently, Paris officials opened an underground tunnel just over a mile long with he capacity to store 2.8 million square feet of water. Even if you don't understand French, you should watch the video giving a slick subterranean tour.

So back to Los Angeles. As the state sorts out California's water future . . . with environmental, agriculture, and other countless interests screaming that they should have priority, certain we can take a look--literally--in our own backyard(s). TreePeople's cistern is certainly a start, and the city and county can do more through rebates, tax credits, or other incentives, to allow residents and businesses to collect their own rainwater. I say it all the time--it's absurd to use drinking water for landscaping and industrial use. But I doubt the city has the gumption to ask residents to pay for a revamped water infrastructure with pipes of grey water running all over the city.

Mayor Antonio and the LA County Board of Supervisors, take notice. Start taking the steps to make water conservation easier for your constituents.

A Main Water Problem

Leon Kaye — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:02:09 +0000

Journalists, and yes, of course, bloggers, are up in arms over the recent water main problems in Los Angeles. Drive somewhere in our City of Angels, see a road dug up, and chances are a water main has burst, sending city employees in a tizzy who would rather make sure that Mayor Antonio’s one million trees die in supermarket parking lots.

Alas, what is going on with these water mains? After all, LA’s water system is an engineering marvel, or nightmare, depending on your perspective. It’s a cultural icon, sparking the iconic 1970s film, Chinatown. William Mulholland, yes, of Mulholland Drive fame, used his self-taught engineering skills to design a system that diverted (or rob, depending on your perspective) water from the Central Valley’s Owens Valley to Los Angeles. The 230-plus mile Los Angeles Aqueduct uses gravity to pull the water, creating a cost-effective way to irrigate Los Angeles . . . while slowly killing off the Owens Valley economy. Mulholland got his own, as he eventually had to resign when a dam he designed and supervised burst in the Santa Clarita Valley, killing over 400 people. That’s why we have engineering schools.

Los Angeles’ water mains are now over eighty years old. Once built for a town of a few hundred thousand, they are supporting a population of 4 million in Los Angeles proper alone. While fingers are pointed, accusations tossed, and reasons conjectured, no one is really suggesting that . . .

The pipes are just old.

It’s odd . . . during my trip to Ottawa, I noticed huge swaths of streets torn up all over the city. I asked my host what was going on, and she noted that many of the water mains are . . . about 80 years old and need to be replaced. It’s a rough go in neighborhoods like Little Italy, Chinatown, and Wellington Village that are or have recently seen their main drags torn up, and tough on businesses . . . but the city is better off in the long run.

Wouldn’t it be cheaper in the long run to take a hard look at Los Angeles’ water infrastructure now and make the required upgrades, rather than waiting for a pipe to burst here and there? Plus, in an era where water is becoming scarce, this would be a good time to create a system of greywater that residents could use for landscaping and other purposes that do not require potable water . . . it’s absurd to use the same water we drink to water our plants.

Such a plan would require a massive bond measure, for which I doubt city leaders have an appetite during these economic times . . . but considering how important water is, and how pricey it will become, this seems to be a social program in desperate need of funding.

What do you think can be done in dealing with our water problem in Los Angeles?

Bleed Dodger Blue. Feel Sustainably Green.

Leon Kaye — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:05:57 +0000

Rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers is almost like begging for physical abuse in the Bay Area, where I grew up. Well, now that my favorite adopted baseball team (I'm not abandoning the Oakland A's, despite their recent sad performance), is the Dodgers, let me rave about this organization. After all, with all the debate over energy efficiency and global warming, I need some light-hearted fare once in a while. Plus the Dodgers just won their division after a late-season scare, so let's celebrate!

First of all, Dodger Stadium. Built in the early 1960s, it's the only example of mid-century stadium architecture at a time when baseball teams are going for that stale retro brick look. Since the Dodgers own the property and are profiting quite well from it, there's no indication that we'll have a new stadium soon, thankfully--although fans are quick to snatch up seats and other items from old sports venues, I cringe when I think of where all that demolition waste may go. Despite the fact that it's now one of the oldest ballparks currently in use, we'll have it for a while--which is great because it makes for a perfect visit to LA.

The Dodgers' owners, the McCourt family, are updating the stadium, which includes planting trees and drought-resistant plants around the ballpark. Not only are the McCourts revamping Dodger Stadium so that it's a place for families to visit year-round, many of the team facilities, restaurants, and offices will incorporate building materials and practices that are LEED certified. Management will install fixtures that will save millions of water a year, promote better recycling practices, and replace most lighting in order to reduce energy consumption.

Finally, the food. For what it's worth, most vegetarian food sites rave about the Dodgers' menu, and PETA actually gave it an honorable mention (for some reason the Philadelphia ballpark made #1, which makes me shake my head). You can get veggie burgers, veggie dogs, sushi (love it but at a ballpark? That's just odd!) salads, and of course . . . peanuts. Before or after the game, vegetarian and even raw vegan options are abundant for a couple miles along Sunset Boulevard going west . . . and you can also bring most food items into the game, as long as it's not something that turn into a projectile that can be hurled to the field.

The big disappointment? Transportation to Chavez Ravine, the stadium's neighborhood. If you live near Sunset Boulevard, the buses are pretty seamless. Unfortunately, rail options are non-existent, but this reflects LA Metro's genius in not having any rail go to the LA Coliseum, the Home Depot Center, or most absurdly . . . LAX. The Dodgers' name emanates from the team's early days in Brooklyn when trolleys crossed all over the borough, hence the team's name, the Trolley Dodgers. The team eventually lopped off "trolley" from the nickname. Thankfully, this was a change from the original name, the Brooklyn Superbas (I had to verify this on a few web sites thinking this was a typo).

Finally, you have to admire LA's chutzpah in not bending over backwards to accommodate the NFL. At a time where smaller municipalities are bankrupting themselves to build pricey sports facilities at taxpayers' expense, Los Angeles has told the NFL that if they want a team here . . . they can build the stadium.

Have you been to a Dodger game lately? Was there anything you saw that you wish would improve in order to reduce waste? Or is the fact that I'm starting the week talking about a sports team sustainability heresy?