Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate. Regions of Focus: North America, Hawaii, Caribbean, and U.S. Pacific Islands. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research today released a scientific assessment ("Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate") that provides the first comprehensive analysis of observed and projected changes in weather and climate extremes in North America and U.S. territories. Among the findings reported in this assessment are that droughts, heavy downpours, excessive heat, and intense hurricanes are likely to become more commonplace as humans continue to increase the atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Global warming of the past 50 years is due primarily to human-induced increases in heat-trapping gases, according to the report. Many types of extreme weather and climate event changes have been observed during this time period and continued changes are projected for this century. Specific future projections include: Abnormally hot days and nights, along with heat waves, are very likely to become more common. Cold nights are very likely to become less common. Sea ice extent is expected to continue to decrease and may even disappear in the Arctic Ocean in summer in coming decades. Precipitation, on average, is likely to be less frequent but more intense. Droughts are likely to become more frequent and severe in some regions. Hurricanes will likely have increased precipitation and wind. The strongest cold-season storms in the Atlantic and Pacific are likely to produce stronger winds and higher extreme wave heights.

Many watershed organizations could increase their impact through long-term financial planning. In order to most effectively protect America's waters, watershed organizations must develop and implement strategies to obtain, diversify, and leverage sustainable sources of funding.

This EPA training module is designed to help your watershed organization develop and implement a sustainable funding plan. This module:

• Outlines the six key steps of fundraising plan development
  
  
• Introduces a diverse set of fundraising options
  
  
• Provides case studies of successful finance mechanisms

EPA's hope is to give both established and new nonprofit watershed organizations a solid methodology for creating finance plans to ensure their own sustainability.

This module is intended primarily for nonprofit watershed organizations.

State or local governments should visit the EPA Financing for Compliance Page.

We use case studies throughout the module to provide real examples of finance strategies employed by nonprofit watershed organizations throughout the country. The title of this module may suggest a template for creating a written funding plan. While a written plan is one outcome, we hope the process of developing the plan—as outlined in six steps—is of even greater value.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Do You Need a Funding Plan?
Introduction to the Six Steps
Step 1: Establish Priorities
Step 2: Assess Capacity
Step 3: Set Fundraising Goals
Step 4: Identify Funding Sources
Step 5: Evaluate & Select Funding Sources
Step 6: Write & Implement Plan
Final Quiz
Sample Finance Plans
List of Case Studies
References & Additional Resources

This handbook is intended to help communities, watershed organizations, and state, local, tribal and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. It was designed to help any organization undertaking a watershed planning effort, and it should be particularly useful to persons working with impaired or threatened waters. EPA intends for this handbook to supplement existing watershed planning guides that have already been developed by agencies, universities, and other nonprofit organizations. The handbook is generally more specific than other guides with respect to guidance on quantifying existing pollutant loads, developing estimates of the load reductions required to meet water quality standards, developing effective management measures, and tracking progress once the plan is implemented.

EPA will be seeking advice from watershed organizations in developing the future versions of the handbook. A mailbox for emailed comments, suggestions, and corrections has been created. Please address them to watershedhandbook@epa.gov.

The links on the website present the full handbook and the handbook divided into 13 chapters, contents (including the cover page, table of contents, and acronyms and abbreviations), 2 appendices, a glossary, and a bibliography, with downloadable PDF files for each. You may download each file by clicking on its link.

DOWNLOAD the COURSE at EPA.GOV

This handbook is intended to help communities, watershed organizations, and state, local, tribal and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. It was designed to help any organization undertaking a watershed planning effort, and it should be particularly useful to persons working with impaired or threatened waters. EPA intends for this handbook to supplement existing watershed planning guides that have already been developed by agencies, universities, and other nonprofit organizations. The handbook is generally more specific than other guides with respect to guidance on quantifying existing pollutant loads, developing estimates of the load reductions required to meet water quality standards, developing effective management measures, and tracking progress once the plan is implemented.

EPA will be seeking advice from watershed organizations in developing the future versions of the handbook. A mailbox for emailed comments, suggestions, and corrections has been created. Please address them to watershedhandbook@epa.gov.

The links on the website present the full handbook and the handbook divided into 13 chapters, contents (including the cover page, table of contents, and acronyms and abbreviations), 2 appendices, a glossary, and a bibliography, with downloadable PDF files for each. You may download each file by clicking on its link.

DOWNLOAD the COURSE at EPA.GOV

Inspired by ecosystems as old as the earth itself, John Todd Ecological Design, Inc. rebuilds ecological balance for clients with The ECO Machine - a wastewater treatment system that naturally treats sewage and industrial waste to re-use quality. Ecological function is an important consideration as fresh water becomes one of the most important commodities in our urbanized world.

John Todd Ecological Design's ECO Machines bring advanced wastewater treatment technology, and unsurpassed aesthetic, economic, and environmental advantages to companies, communities, and resorts both at home and internationally.

Dr. Todd is a pioneer in the emerging field of ecological design and engineering and has won many prestigious awards and honorary degrees including awards for projects from the EPA and a number of innovation awards including the Theodore Roosevelt conservation Award from the White House, and an achievement award by the United Nations Environment Program.

How does an Eco Machine Wastewater Treatment System Work?

ECO Machines accelerate nature's own water purification process. Unlike chemical-based systems, ECO Machines incorporate helpful bacteria, fungi, plants, snails, clams, and fish that thrive by breaking down and digesting organic pollutants, pollutants that normally deprive the water of oxygen. This clean, simple approach efficiently transforms high-strength industrial wastewater and sewage into water clean enough to be recycled for reuse.

CONTACT:
John Todd Ecological Design, Inc.
P.O. Box 497
Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
1.508.548.2545
www.toddecological.com

We don't think of cemeteries as being landscapes of significance in the scheme of things...but they are.  Not only do they cover many thousands of acres in our communities, but the use of toxic materials in coffins also impact the ground water. 

In the Eastern and Southern states, coffins from Civil War times are still leaching lead into the water supply! How we bury our dead today will affect our landscape quality for generations to come.  And there ARE better choices.

Ecoffins: Eco-Friendly, All Natural and Biodegradable Alternatives for Green Burials and Cremation

As more and more American families and communities look for eco-friendly solutions to everything in life, a need remains for greener choices to fulfill the final wishes of loved ones at their time of death.

When William Wainman decided to introduce his company’s Ecoffins to the United States (at the 2007 National Funeral Directors Association International Convention & Exposition last fall) he was not sure how his products would be received. Wainman soon discovered that his timing was right, and that his products fit nicely with a growing need sought after by US funeral professionals.

Sustainable Materials

Ecoffins manufactures their entire product line using only environmentally sustainable material:

Bamboo– not the species consumed by pandas– the ultimate sustainable material, grown and harvested in licensed plantations (when cut down at the root, bamboo takes just 59 days to grow back to full height without the need for replanting);

Pandanus– an environmentally friendly alternative to sea grass (currently under threat from coastal development, dredging and urban expansion);

Willow– cut from bushes known as crowns which remain harvestable for approximately 40 years before they need to be replanted; and

Banana– sheaves come from the trunk of the plant which peel off naturally each year.

For additional information inquiries about EcoffinsUSA, please contact:

EcoffinsUSA
Telluride, Colorado
970-708-9652
www.ecoffinsusa.com

 
Protecting the earth is getting harder for growers on California's Central Coast, where the need to ensure food safety conflicts with environmental rules aimed at improving water quality and wildlife habitat.
 
In response to a number of food safety outbreaks -- most recently an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with bagged spinach in September 2006 that killed three people and sickened 200 others -- some growers are removing conservation measures adjacent to croplands, according to a survey of Central Coast growers published in the University of California's California Agriculture journal (April-June 2008).

 
Researchers found that 8 percent (of 181 growers surveyed in spring 2007) had crops rejected by buyers based on the presence of practices to improve water quality and wildlife habitat on the farm. Likewise, 15 percent of the growers (managing some 30,000 acres) had removed or discontinued the use of previously adopted conservation practices, including ponds and reservoirs, irrigation reuse systems, and noncrop vegetation buffers such as grassed waterways, riparian habitat, buffer strips and trees.
 

However, authors Melanie Beretti, program director of the Monterey County Resource Conservation District, and Diana Stuart, UC Santa Cruz doctoral candidate in environmental studies, cite research showing that discouraging or actively removing such conservation practices could, in some cases, actually increase the risk of crop contamination.

 "Keeping produce as safe as possible is a critical goal," the authors write in California Agriculture journal. "However, the means to achieve this goal should be carefully investigated to insure that those measures actually reduce risks of crop contamination, do not increase other human health risks as a result of environmental degradation, and are cost-effective and practical to implement."


California Agriculture is the University of California's peer-reviewed journal of research in agricultural, human and natural resources. For a free subscription, go to: http://californiaagriculture.ucop.edu, write to calag@ucop.edu or call (510) 642-2431 x33.

Runoff is such a waste!  Not only does it flush chemicals and debris into our surface water system (streams, rivers, lakes and oceans...) it flushes good fresh water supplies away from the roots of plants that need the moisture.  Permeable or semi-permeable concrete is one solution to conserve water, protect watersheds and reduce runoff.

Pervious Concrete has been reviewed by the Federal EPA as a post construction Best Management Practice for parking lots and storm water management. The reduction of the “heat island effect” and the cleaning of “first flush” storm water events are two of the major benefits of the product.

If you have concerns for the environment you might like to visit the website of Environ-Crete to learn about permeable concrete: www.envirocreteinc.com 

Pervious Concrete is not poured like conventional concrete, it’s compacted in place. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association recommends that only qualified contractors attempt to place this sustainable product. Enviro-Crete, Inc. is providing certified and experienced operations throughout California. We are professionals at assisting in the success of a construction project, and helping new buildings achieve valuable LEED points!

If your project parking lot is 10,000 square feet or 50 acres, we have the equipment and resources you need.

The Pervious Concrete parking lot we built in Lake Tahoe is the largest one there yet, but watch out for dwarfing projects coming soon.

CONTACT INFO:

 

Millions of tons of waste materials are hauled away, buried, or burned each day from landscaping and grounds keeping operations—trees, shrubs, brush, lumber, asphalt, and concrete, just to name a few. Consider the millions of gallons of water, pesticides, fuels, and oils in use each and every day. The costs of these materials—both economic and environmental—can be easily reduced or eliminated with updated landscaping methods.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) GreenScapes program provides cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for landscaping. Designed to help preserve natural resources and prevent waste and pollution, GreenScapes encourages companies and homeowners to make more holistic decisions regarding waste generation and disposal. This reduces impacts on land, water, air, and energy use.

The GreenScapes Alliance is a voluntary partnership program that aims to combine government and industry into a powerful, unified influence over the reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste materials in large land use applications.

Read related information about greenscaping at my website: CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com

Green landscaping reduces water runoff, can preserve native species, increase cooling greenery, and provide all the benefits of beauty!

Swales Are Just One of the Solutions!

Swales are densely vegetated drainageways with low-pitched slopes that collect and slowly convey runoff. They promote infiltration and reduce stormwater runoff volumes. Grass swales can replace curbs, gutters and storm sewer systems.

Grass swales typically cost less to construct than curbs, gutter or storm sewer systems.

Green Building Landscape Info Sheets

Swales Reduce Runoff

Alternative Driveway Design

Porous Pavement Reduces Surface Runoff

Natural Landscaping Reduces Runoff

Saving and Amending Topsoil

Tree Cover Provides Multiple Benefits

 DOWNLOAD these Info Sheets