On Thursday, July 17, former Vice President Al Gore issued a challenge to the American people:

Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.

This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Americans - in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.

You can watch or read the speech on wecansolvit.org. Or you can read or listen to the audio of the speech on NPR.

The gas smells putrid. Wet and opaque, it blocks our vision until condensing into particles, staining everything a tenacious crimson. Whether the resource is near or far—water drawn from Dane County’s Mt. Simon aquifer or Venezuelan oil powering the ship bringing our coffee from Costa Rica—the impact of our consumption has a tangible effect on us. We can see, feel, smell, and hear the red gas in proportion to the impact we create. Do the earth a big bad deed? Big bad choke-inducing blast. Milder infraction? A lighter crimson mist.

Driving produces a car-filling cloud. Put on the goggles and roll down the windows or we won’t be able to see! Plug in a refrigerator and the red fog, or lack thereof, will tell whether the electricity comes from a coal-fired power plant or relies on renewable resources. Taking a shower, reading a paper, or eating a sandwich—each creates its proportional red fog.

If our contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and to depletion of resources were quantified in such a tangible way, would we continue our un-sustainable ways? I’d like to think something so blatant would be a catalyst for change, but if not, what would it take? What will it take for us as a society to shift from denial or disinterest to responding with the urgency and intensity sufficient to the crisis at hand?

Whether tangible or not, our impact on the planet is enormous. The human race has exceeded the capacity of the planet’s natural regenerative systems. Using up the world’s resources at a rate estimated to be 25% faster than nature can replenish them, we are eating up the capital of the planet instead of living on her interest alone. With population growth and the increasing imitation of America’s consumption patterns, the quantity of the figurative red gas is climbing worldwide.

Perhaps we need discomfort in order to change. Since we cannot see the greenhouse gases we produce, since we don’t see deforestation in our backyards, it is easier to deny or disregard their existence. Climate change and resource over-exploitation are not simple processes. The threats they pose are due to complicated changes in the complex system that is our planet. At best they seem abstract. If economist John Kenneth Galbraith was correct and the factors that most contribute to conventional wisdom are the ease with which an idea may be understood and the degree to which it affects our personal well-being, it is easy to see why many may not fully embrace the call to change. This is complicated stuff and, as far as I know, no one emits a red gas as an impact indicator. If discomfort and/or ease of understanding are necessary impetuses for action, we will likely be way too late in the process to make effective change.

Using this scenario can be a useful way to look at our impacts. Imagining the red cloud we create with just one hour of activity can be a shocking experiment, whether it causes us to realize we don’t know enough to make informed choices about our behaviors or we see how harmful they really are. We may realize there are many things we do without question.

The ways we do things may need to become more like those of our grandparents or great-grandparents. Keeping vegetable gardens and having smaller homes may become the norm. But this isn’t a call to revert to a previous way of living. In many ways we will need to turn the clock forward to create innovative technological advances to help us become sustainable.

We are changing the climate and our planet, and with those changes, the futures of all living things. Greed and selfishness appear to be winning at the moment. But never before in human history has our responsibility to one another been more clear. Enlightened self-interest and altruism need to break through the red fog and help us see a path toward a sustainable future.

I can’t answer that last one. But at this year’s Monona Community Festival, The Natural Step Monona (TNSM) hosts a booth devoted to transportation. Those thought balloons can be popped from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Do we understand the mass transit options in Monona? Did we know that Monona offers two bus services, Monona Lift and Monona Express, both of which anyone can ride?

At June’s Mass Transit Commission meeting, members and citizens alike were surprised to learn that the Monona Lift is not only for the elderly and disabled. Anyone can ride the handicapped-accessible bus on its six daily loops (four through Monona and downtown Madison, and two within Monona). Elderly or disabled riders with special needs can prearrange to be picked up or dropped off within one-half mile of the route as it makes its regular journeys. Those who can’t make it to a Monona Lift stop but can make it to a spot on the route should call First Transit Services (222-3350), the provider of transit services to Monona. Notified in advance, they will stop, but only along the route.

Monona Express serves commuters, making four loops through Monona and downtown Madison each weekday morning and evening, excluding holidays. With no stops between Monona’s city limits and downtown/UW- Madison, it’s a swift ride. “It takes me about 22 minutes,” says Tom Heiber-Cobb, who commutes using the Express.

Heiber-Cobb has used the Express for six years. “The hallmark of this service is that it’s extremely personalized,” he says. “The drivers get to know you by name and where you live.” When asked whether he reads or speaks with others while commuting, Heiber-Cobb says, “It depends on whether Jim Keck’s on the bus,” making it clear why the social aspect is his favorite part. His least favorite part? The loud, bumpy ride “makes you feel like you’re in a covered wagon.”

To “rebrand” the Monona Lift as a service for all Monona residents, the TNSM booth will host a contest to rename “Monona Lift.” Yes, there will be prizes! There will also be a big map marked with routes and stops, info on fares, schedules, a short survey to share thoughts and ideas about transit in Monona, and more.

Also featured at the booth will be Community Car, a member-based car sharing service in Madison. It provides cars by the hour, saving thousands of dollars a year in car expenses for each member and allowing a majority of members to avoid a car purchase. Imagine no car payments, no insurance payments, no gas to pump, and no maintenance. Community Car handles it all.

Six Community Car members live in Monona and use the strategically-placed cars in Madison. They can bike, carpool, or use the bus to get to work, and yet have a car available for business meetings, doctors’ appointments, or emergencies at their children’s schools.

With enough interest from individuals, families, and/or businesses, Community Car could launch in Monona. Sign-up at the booth to join the program and/or state your interest in bringing it to Monona. Check out www.communitycar.com.

Want to talk two wheels? Copies of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin’s Ride Guide and the Dane County Map for Bicyclists are among the things free for the taking at the TNSM booth. Alder Doug Wood’s really cool Giant “Trans Send” bike (not free and not for the taking) will be on hand to admire and inspire. And Budget Bikes’ Burley cargo trailer will convince us we don’t need a car to pick up groceries or large items.

We have choices. And every choice matters. Taking a better way—using feet, bikes, and shared transit—is a step toward a markedly improved, nonpolluting transportation system. It’s also a step in making a better way, a way of shared responsibility to do everything we can to exchange our harmful behaviors for less harmful, benign, or even beneficial ones. Trade in our old ways and our SUVs and let’s head down a long-lasting, sustainable road together.

With the high cost of gasoline diminishing our bank accounts, wouldn’t it be great to reduce fuel use and save some money at the pump? There are lots of ways to do so. Some people have quit driving entirely, and some are cutting back on the miles they travel. Those who alter the way they drive can see significant savings, too. How can we join them?

Walk or jog to our destinations. Using our feet costs nothing, is great exercise, and offers time for contemplation without distractions. Another financial benefit—we don’t have to pay to park our shoes.

Bike. Riding a bicycle is simple and inexpensive, and is another great workout. Avoiding auto traffic may get us home faster and with our blood flowing instead of boiling.

Carpool. Divvy duties, costs, and vehicle wear and tear.

Take public transportation. Monona has rush hour express bus service to and from downtown Madison and the UW campus. Another service serves the general public as well as the elderly and disabled, and has both Monona and Monona-Madison loops. There will be more about this next week.

If we must drive:
Don’t ”warm up” vehicles. Modern cars don’t need it.

Turn off cars when waiting more than one minute. Idling cars pollute. They waste fuel, getting zero miles per gallon.

Drive more slowly… The optimal speed for fuel efficiency is 30 to 35 miles per hour. Aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed, so obeying posted limits makes a dramatic difference. …and smoothly. Avoid ”jackrabbit” starts; instead, accelerate slowly from a standstill. Glide to stop lights rather than race. Aggressive driving can increase fuel consumption by 40% and shaves only 72 seconds off of a 30-minute trip!

Keep tires properly inflated. Most tires lose air gradually, but can do so suddenly by hitting a pothole. (Anyone not hit a pothole lately?) Check cold tire pressure—tires driven less than a mile—at least per month and before and after long trips. More than one billion gallons of fuel were wasted in 2005 because of underinflated tires on passenger cars and light trucks.

Have engines regularly serviced and tuned by professionals. Reduce emissions by 20% and fuel use up to 10%.

Don’t carry things on top of vehicles unless necessary. Normal aerodynamic drag at highway speeds uses more than half our engines’ power. Putting things on top makes it worse. Even roof racks lower fuel economy, so take the rack off when not in use.

Don’t carry things inside vehicles unless necessary. With exceptions for emergency items, keep vehicles as light as possible. One hundred pounds of weight reduces mileage by as much as four percent.

Send kids to school by bus, or walk or bike with them.

Shop closer to home.

Trade in SUVs for more fuel-efficient vehicles—ones with much better mileage.

Plan errands. Multiple short trips create the most environmentally un-friendly driving pattern. Bunching our errands together keeps the engine warm. Vehicles pollute more and are grossly inefficient when cold.

Choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle. For a quick run to the supermarket, drive the subcompact, not the SUV or luxury car.

For a quick errand, use the vehicle that’s been driven most recently. If a vehicle’s engine is still warm, it will be better for a short jaunt—unless it’s a gas guzzler.

Don’t drive home for lunch.

Plan routes. Use routes with the fewest stops. We might think we’re saving time by using side streets, but we’re likely using more fuel by starting and stopping. On a trip with multiple stops, plan routes for easier right turns, if possible, rather than time-consuming left turns.

Change what we drive. The largest determinant of fuel economy is the vehicle. A hybrid is a better choice than a behemoth for both our finances and our environment.

All these things save money by lowering our fuel consumption. Whether we do some or all of them, we create benefits for our country and planet, not just our bank accounts. Lowering our fuel consumption nationwide by 25 percent could reduce oil imports by half and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. We can be a driving force for change by changing how we drive.

By Heather Gates

Saving has not always been a hip endeavor, and saving money certainly goes against mass media marketing efforts. Yet, with the current economic crisis, saving has a new seal of approval from formerly non-frugal fashionistas and famine-forecasting futurologists alike.

Many money-saving actions—cutting energy use, eating fewer processed foods, biking rather than driving—also help our environment and health. Lowering fuel consumption by changing how, what, or if we drive, means less degradation of our planet and fewer harmful pollutants to breathe. Taking Doritos off the shopping list means less packaging added to our landfills and fewer inches added to our waistlines. Frugality offers win-wins galore.

How did your great- or great-great-grandparents live? Not with bottled water, pizza delivery, or plastic containers of potato salad. Instead they pumped or toted water and made their own meals. They didn’t have energy-guzzling televisions, MP3 players, or computers. Instead they played instruments, sang, read, and conversed. Some of our late great relatives didn’t drive autos. They drove horses, rode trains, and used feet. As we strive to save, it might help us to think about how resourceful they were with what they had.

Some ways to save are easy. Forget the commercials showing a toothbrush with a bouffant of toothpaste. Use a pea-sized amount and cut use by two-thirds, saving money and preventing the environmental costs of processing, packaging, and shipping two tubes you didn’t need.

Use vinegar to clean a teakettle or coffee pot. Reuse the vinegar to soak a clogged showerhead, and reuse once more to clean the bathroom floor or toilet.

Save face. Instead of running the tap while shaving, put some water in the basin to rinse your razor.
Bulk buying saves money. Using reusable produce/grain bags for bulk granola, nuts, and other foodstuffs saves resources.

More than foodstuffs are available in bulk at Willy Street Co-op. Buy items like laundry detergent, peanut butter, and shampoo, saving the containers to use over and over. Reuse—the second best R of the Three R’s of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Save for a rainy day. A few years ago, I dramatically reduced my driving—improving my bank balance and the environment. My insurance agent changed my policy to reflect this, putting me into a lower-mileage category and lowering my insurance rates, as well. Win-win-win!

These Little Steps can spark critical thinking about what more we can do. Most steps, small and large, rely on our taking time to think, to consider the impacts each of our choices has on our environment, economy, and society. Start Little, but think Big. And use your ancestors as inspiration.

Park Pride
The Natural Step Monona cleaned up Schluter Park last month for the new Park Pride program. We thought you might be curious as to what we found.

In the parking lot were: a glove, dozens and dozens of cigarette butts, small and large pieces of snack bags, one unused condom, the sole of a child’s shoe, part of a tampon, and many torn up bits of paper.

In the park we found: a woman’s sock, a long length of monofilament fish line, numerous candy wrappers, plastic water bottles, food wrappers, cigarette butts, soft drink containers, and a film canister containing a treasure-hunting GPS tracking game. That last item was put back where it was found.

Along the shoreline and in the water were: plastic bottle tops, fast food cup lids, a Sharpie pen, pencils, golf tees, lots of plastic shopping bags jammed in the rocks, beer cans, 40 or so dead fish, lots of plastic straws, bits of plastic, and about 25 plastic cigarette tips.

Why? I will never understand why some people treat the outdoors as a garbage can.

We also raked up 33 bags of leaves, many of which were then whisked away to be used by our resident Permaculture expert in her garden.

The Natural Step Monona circle starts the third week of June. There are nine sessions, with a pot luck celebration at the end. The circle will be either Tuesday or Wednesday evening. To sign up, fill out our on-line form, send an email to info@tnsmonona.org or call 663-2459, letting us know your name, which evening you prefer, and your phone number.

To join, we just need you to let us know which evening is best for you. We will hold the circle on the night most can make it. If we get enough people interested, we’ll have both a Tuesday and a Wednesday circle.

There are no tests or pop quizzes, no dress codes, no demerits, and no grades. There are once-per-week meetings, invigorating conversations, enthused citizens, a celebratory ”graduation” pot-luck, and a great book to ground it all — The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James and Torbjörn Lahti, a leader of the Swedish eco-municipality movement. The circle has a maximum of twelve people and a trained facilitator to assist. A free study guide is provided; the book costs $25, or, for $5 you can borrow a brand new book for the length of the circle.

Need a little more encouragement? How about this: Participating in a study circle on The Natural Step framework for sustainability provides ideas for individual, as well as community action, and gives momentum to the shared ideas. In the last year and one-half, 56 people have participated in study circles hosted by The Natural Step Monona. Torbjörn Lahti says, ”Perhaps the most important factor for their (Swedish communities’) success in becoming eco-municipalities was study circles. It’s a question of taking control over their own situation and their own future.”

Monona Alderperson Bob Miller participated in a study circle. ”Inspiring, invigorating, and enjoyable, I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue and thought-provoking discussion…” says Miller. ”It also provided a stronger sense of community within Monona. I believe The Natural Step is the future of Monona and hope the city embraces The Natural Step.”

To sign up, fill out our on-line form, send an email to info@tnsmonona.org or call 663-2459, letting us know your name, which evening you prefer, and your phone number.

The series is presented by The Natural Step Monona and the Monona Public Library.

Find full details of upcoming sessions in our “upcoming events” listing on each page of this web site.

Come learn something about sustainable living while you meet your neighbors and make new friends!

The aquifers providing Dane County with all of its drinking water (50 million gallons per day) are being drawn down. With increasing population growth and business expansion, our natural hydrologic system is being dramatically altered.

But we aren’t powerless. There are things we can do to curb excessive water use. Remember: Little Steps add up to Big Changes!

At home, water management is largely a matter of adjusting daily habits to decrease water usage and increase efficiency.

Do laundry only when you have a full load. Wear clothes repeatedly before laundering (except for undergarments!) Switch to a high-efficiency washer to reduce water use by up to 50%. Use the smallest recommended amount bio-degradable soap (read the label), and, if you soften your water, use half the recommended amount of detergent.

If you use a dishwasher, run it only when full. If you hand wash, don’t do dishes individually while letting the water run. Instead, wash and rinse a sink-full at a time.

In the bathroom: turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth; switch to a low-flow showerhead; and don’t take up residence in the shower stall. A tactic for combating that last tendency: make a habit of singing a specific song to accompany your shower, with the goal of finishing before the song ends.

Outdoors, water management includes capturing rainwater and runoff, and using less of our highly-treated drinking water for outdoor use.

Letting water soak into the ground has numerous benefits: preventing soil, fertilizers, salt, other pollutants, and debris from joining the stormwater runoff that feeds directly into our lakes; filtering out pollutants as the water moves through the ground; recharging our hydrologic system instead of diverting water out of it; and creating happier plants by feeding them with highly-oxygenated, fluoride- and chlorine-free water.

Plant rain gardens and create landscape depressions to absorb water. The root systems of native plants soak up vastly more water than lawn grasses, and native plants are low-maintenance to boot.

Try not watering your lawn. It may go dormant in a dry spell, but will rejuvenate with rain. If you feel you must water, use only as much as is absolutely necessary, take care to place sprinklers so they are watering the lawn and not the street or sidewalk, and only water in the early morning hours.

Another way to reduce lawn watering is to reduce your lawn! Replace lawn with native plants, perennials, vegetables, fruits, and trees. Placing mulch on beds will retain moisture and greatly lessen the need for watering.

With increasing numbers of cars and people, impervious surfaces — materials that don’t absorb rainwater — are rapidly replacing our valuable pervious surfaces — materials that both absorb and filter rainwater. Consider converting impervious surfaces to pervious ones. Replace a concrete or asphalt path with one made of pea gravel, pavers, or wood chips, or a driveway with pavers, crushed granite, or gravel.

Rain barrels divert rainwater from downspouts, capturing it for use in the garden or for car washing. (Wash your car over a pervious surface so the contaminants don’t go right to the lakes!)

The non-profit environmental group, Sustain Dane, runs the fast-growing RainReserve(TM) rain barrel program. Proceeds from rain barrel purchases are reinvested in Sustain Dane’s ongoing sustainability education and outreach in southern Wisconsin, making a purchase a win-win.

See a demonstration of a system and order your own at Habitat ReStore’s Earth Day Celebration Saturday the 19th from noon to four. Orders can also be placed on-line at www.rainfordane.org or by calling 316-6844. If you order one now, the next distribution will be Saturday, May 3rd, in conjunction with the Going Green Expo and Compost Bin sale at the Alliant Energy Center.

Water conservation and stewardship require consciousness of habits and consideration of our impacts on natural systems. The people of Monona can make our community, aquifers, and lakes healthier and cleaner by taking the Little Steps that lead to Big Changes.

From the corner of your eye you notice something small moving closer. Upstream you see a plastic cup floating toward you. You bend to retrieve it, but then see frozen pizza boxes, yogurt containers, soda cans, and more trash bobbing around the bend. Plunging into the stream, you extract the ever-increasing debris. But, like Lucy and Ethel at the candy factory, you can’t keep up! There’s just too much.

This is our waste stream. So much of what we discard starts as an upstream problem, but we’re trying to fix it with downstream solutions. Instead of trying to pull the trash out of the stream, we need to not put it in the stream in the first place.

Modern society developed by following a mostly linear path of taking resources from the earth, making products from them, and wasting resources in both the products’ creation and final disposal. It can be called ”take-make-waste.” Natural systems, on the other hand, use the waste of one thing as a resource or food for the next. We need to behave more like these natural systems, creating zero waste.

According to the EPA, in 2006, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 251 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste — about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Of that, 32.5 percent is recycled or composted, 12.5 percent is burned, and the remaining 55 percent is disposed of in landfills.

While systems for trash disposal are important, they help us detach from the source of the problem. Even recycling programs, beneficial in reusing resources and diverting some materials from landfills, are a downstream approach with negatives of their own.

A better way is reducing waste upstream — significantly lessening our consumption of goods and resources. Here’s some of what we can do:

• Create and buy biodegradable products or those whose components can be broken down for reuse;
• Seek toxin-free products and packaging;
• Call customer service to complain to companies using non-recyclable or too much packaging, and tell them you will no longer buy their products;
• Buy fewer or no packaged products;
• Don’t buy single-serving sizes; buy large sizes to reduce packaging;
• Buy from the bulk section, using reusable bags;
• Wash and reuse plastic zip bags or use landfill-safe unbleached waxed paper sandwich bags (Willy Street Coop);
• Use reusable shopping bags;
• Take a container for restaurant leftovers;
• Use reusable water bottles;
• Use reusable mugs at the coffee shop or office;
• Compost kitchen waste (16% of waste in the Dane County landfill is food waste) and yard waste;
• Leave short grass clippings on the lawn (a natural source of nitrogen);
• Purchase durable, long-lasting goods instead of easily-broken or throw-away ones;
• Use handkerchiefs instead of paper tissue;
• Donate clothing and household items to Goodwill, Easter Seals, St. Vinny’s and other charities. Buy from them, as well.
• Give away or trade items through sites such as the Monona section of www.neighbornation.net and www.madisonstuffexchange.com.
• Use worn-out clothes as cleaning rags. Don’t use paper towels.
• Return clothes hangers to the cleaners for reuse.
• Recycle Styrofoam. Home Concepts at 2134 W. Beltline Hwy. recycles it. (271-4663)
• Stop unwanted mail — go to www.optoutprescreen.com to opt out of credit and insurance offers, to www.dmachoice.org/MPS/mps_consumer_description.php to opt out of direct mail, or simply call the 800-number of individual companies.
• • The Big Picture — separate want from need. Only purchase what you really need to live.

Share your ideas for waste reduction with us. We’ll print them in a future column.