SEGG participates in Racine’s Fourth of July Parade

After a cloud-filled early morning, perfect weather prevailed over Racine’s Fourth of July parade.

Though our entry was located near the end of the parade, spectators lined the streets. Many cheered, and a few loud individuals made negative comments, perhaps a sign of our effectiveness in our many projects over the years!

The Southeast Gateway Group’s parade unit stressed hybrid automobiles, carpooling, bicycle riding, and even rollerblading as ways to commute. Individual signs carried simple conservation messages.

A great time was had by our participants, though we would like more for next year's parade

Photo 1 Caption: The Southeast Gateway Group’s Racine Fourth of July Parade entry crosses the Main Street Bridge over the Root River.

Photo 2 Caption: The Club's banner leads our way.

Photo 3 Caption: The Southeast Gateway Group’s Racine Fourth of July parade entry turns onto Main Street from the staging area. Basic environmental messages were featured, along with a hybrid automobile, car pooling, bicycling and roller blading.

Photo 4 Caption: Jeff Sytsma's bicycle promotes the use of compact fluorescent lamps.

Photo 5 Caption: Nancy Hennessy, Barry Thomas, Bev Iverson and Lila Berge pass time at the staging area while waiting to get underway.

Photo 6 Caption: At the end of the route, Sierrans take a well-deserved break. A number of the "Green is the new Red, White and Blue" shirts are available.

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Calendar:

August 2: Conservation Committee meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, etc. We are always open to new members.

August 4: Highway 38 Cleanup starting at 8:30 a.m. followed by a potluck lunch. Meet at Bob and Betty Gericke’s house, 3927 North Lane, Franksville (east of State Highway 38 and north of County Highway K). Because of the construction at Hwy. K, one must come in from the north; 4 Mile Road is suggested.

August 9: ExCom meeting. The meeting will be at the Olympia Brown Church Annex, 419 6th St. in Racine at 7:00 p.m.

August 16: Book Club Discuss Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, 7:00 p.m., Caleo’s in Kenosha, 2324 18th St.

August 25: Work day at Colonial Park (8:30 a.m. to noon) and Pringle Nature Center (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) We will continue to remove alien, invasive plant species. Instruction is available at both sites, so newcomers as well as regulars are always welcome. Wear appropriate clothing and bring suitable tools if you have them.

September 1: Southeast Sierran Deadline. Send articles, etc., electronically by using the information on the back page, or send by mail to: Gary Zumach, 2548 Pinehurst Ave., Racine, WI 53403.

September 6: Conservation Committee meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, etc.

September 13: ExCom meeting. The meeting will be at the Olympia Brown Church Annex, 419 6th St. in Racine at 7:00 p.m.

September 20: SEGG's Silver Anniversary Dinner at the Wind Point Lighthouse starting at 5:00 p.m. with buffet dinner at 6:00 p.m.

September 22: Work day at Colonial Park (8:30 a.m. to noon) and Pringle Nature Center (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) We will continue to remove alien, invasive plant species. Instruction is available at both sites, so newcomers as well as regulars are always welcome. Wear appropriate clothing and bring suitable tools if you have them.

October 4: Conservation Committee meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, etc.

October 6: Highway 38 Cleanup starting at 8:30 a.m. followed by a potluck lunch. Meet at Bob and Betty Gericke’s house, 3927 North Lane, Franksville (east of State Highway 38 and north of County Highway K). We will have to see the state of construction at Hwy. K and elsewhere.

October 25: Regular meeting will be at the Pringle Nature Center and feature Professor Ray Wiggers from Lake Forest College speaking on, "Wisconsin's Living Landscapes: Dramatic Change through Time". We will meet a 5:00 p.m. for a hike and enjoy a hot dog and chili supper at 6:00 p.m. followed by Professor Wiggers talk at 7:00 p.m. A $5.00 donation for the meal is suggested. Please RSVP to Barry Thomas (859-2960).

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FOR SALE: A few parade T-shirts are still available: Sierra Club logo on front. "Green is the new Red White and Blue" on back. They're cool! Size L, M $15

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From the Chair: Another Look at the Lake
by Nancy Hennessy

A couple of newsletters ago, high on the beauty of Lake Michigan, I wrote about my living room window pictures. I told you how I was continually awed by the ever-changing moods of the lake and that I couldn't stop trying to capture those moments of beauty with my camera.

Well, today is another one of those days: bright sun, pale blue sky, brilliantly blue water and not too far out a sailboat gracefully gliding along. But today I am thinking about the multitude of problems that don't show in this beautiful picture: the decades of industrial pollution that has taken a toll; the continuing problem of polluted run-off from city streets, farm yards and suburban lawns; the growing presence of drugs in our drinking water; the all too frequent sanitary sewer overflows; the invasive species that have the potential to drastically alter the lake’s ecosystem--such as the zebra mussels that are clogging our cities’ water intakes and the voracious Asian carp that is lurking nearby...the list goes on. And now we must deal with the question of water diversions as the burgeoning communities outside the Great Lakes Basin lobby for Lake Michigan water to feed their development.

Historically we have not treated our lake well. Now it's time to take some positive steps. The passage of the Great Lakes Compact would provide a much-needed framework of protection for the waters of the Great Lakes. But there is much to learn about the Compact. A report by Midwest Environmental Advocates identifies four areas for improvement in the Compact: 1. Eliminate loopholes that encourage privatizing Great Lakes water. 2. Strengthen the ban on diversions. 3. Set a meaningful regulatory level for in-basin users of Great Lakes water. 4. Require strong water conservation standards.

The "water fight" has already begun and pressures are mounting to allow diversions. We need to be well educated on this issue and we must make sure our legislators know that we want them to pass into law a strong Compact to protect the Great Lakes for generations to come.

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More Precious Than Oil?
by Lila Berge

For those of us living on the Great Lakes, it is hard to believe that one person out of every three on this planet lacks access to clean, fresh water. About ten percent of the Earth's population gets their drinking and cooking water from a private company rather than a public utility or an unregulated source. In major urban areas the number is even higher. The "water barons" who run the big water companies say if water is scarce, let supply and demand set the price for consumers. Their lease agreements with cities can run for decades. If consumers rebel or cash short cities try to go back to their former public utility, they may find the old infrastructure is unable to function due to a lack of engineers.

In Changzhou, China, when the Yangtze River became so polluted with sewage and industrial waste that people could no longer use it, they began digging their own wells. The water table became so depleted that the ground level sank two feet and the government had to ban the digging of wells!

Every day, more children die from dirty water than from HIV/AIDS, malaria, war and accidents, according to Madge Barlow, author of "Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World’s Water". The water crisis does not just effect China and third world countries. France instituted water rationing in 2006; so did London. According to Charles C. Mann in an article in Vanity Fair's Green Issue (from which much of the information for this article was taken), Africa, the Middle-East, and much of South and Central America will either run out of water or be unable to afford its cost by 2025. In the United States, 36 states anticipate water shortages within the next ten years.

Meanwhile, our toilets send more water down the drain in each flush than many Africans use in a single day. Our store shelves stock multiple brands of bottled water taken from public sources, selling for more per gallon than gasoline.

Veolia Environmental, a $38 billion French company serves 108 million people in 57 countries. It is the world's biggest water company; their revenues increased 12% in 2006. Another French company, Suez, and British Thames Water make up the world's top three water companies. American Water, the number one U. S. company, is a subsidiary of a German corporation, Bechtel, which was awarded the contract to rebuild Iraq's bombed out water and sewage system. The World Bank is lending money to nations and cities that agree to outsource their water utilities. Bechtel's Bolivian subsidiary increased water bills up to 200%, causing street protests that led to the President of Bolivia resigning.

Economists running these Big Water Corporations claim increasing the price of water cures wasteful leaking pipes, inefficient irrigation methods, and over consumption by households and businesses. Is water simply an ordinary consumer good, or is it a necessity and a gift from God to all people, poor as well as rich?

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Our First Quarter Century
(with emphasis on conservation activities)
by Lila Berge, Group Historian

On Wednesday evening, January 13, 1982, about fifty enthusiastic environmentalists met at Riverbend Nature Center to form a local Sierra Club Group. They came from Racine, Kenosha, Union Grove, Silver Lake and Bristol. Jonathan Ela, Midwest Representative for the Sierra Club at that time, described how the Club was formed in 1892 by John Muir who grew up in Wisconsin and how it grew to become a leader in the conservation movement. It is now the largest, oldest and probably the most effective, grassroots environmental organization in the world.

The Club's program of outings, political action and environmental education was growing in southeast Wisconsin as part of the Milwaukee area group, Great Waters. Mary Ellen Johnson and others believed that there were enough Sierra Club members, and prospective members, in Racine and Kenosha counties to form our own Group. So we set out to prove her correct!

The Application to the Sierra Club for group status was signed on March 16, 1982, by Mary Ellen and Richard Marciniak, Co-Chairs. Other officers included David Hewitt, Charles Erven, Elma Chapman, Joe Matesa, Joan Bennett, Donna Peterson, James Piogda, Sally Marciniak and Rhoda Dadian.

A busy schedule of meetings, canoe outings, programs, parties, workshops, public hearings, fund raising and camping are reported in the early newsletters (mimeographed, no less). Among those running for office at the next election were Evelyn Cave, Dick Christianson, Mary Ann Ortmayer, Lila Berge and Gary Zumach.

Donna Peterson soon had environmental education programs organized on eagles and wolves. She continued educating school children and the public until her "retirement" this year and has received many awards.

Mary Ellen, Donna and others led the early fight to preserve Chiwaukee Prairie from further development. Other members have been active there and with the Ice Age Trail, Audubon (Hoy Club), the Nature Conservancy, The League of Conservation Voters, Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) and several land trusts. Over the decades, SEGG has also sent many strong leaders to work at the chapter level.

Sierra Club political advocacy on behalf of conservation and the environment spans many issues: Clean air and water, forestry, endangered species, wilderness, mining, wetlands, recycling, household hazardous waste, medical waste, farming and land use, renewable vs. polluting energy production, transportation and Cool Cities.

During the 80's, our Group focused on acid rain and recycling. Jean McGraw kept us informed on Great Lakes pollution, phosphate ban progress and fisheries issues. We were dismayed to have the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources become a political appointee of the Governor and to lose the Office of Public Intervener. Mary Ellen organized sessions for letter writing to legislators and encouraged us to attend many public hearings. Other local issues such as medical waste incinerators and landfill expansion plans were making the news. Hunt's landfill qualified as a Superfund site. The Berges participated in a 100-mile long canoe trip to publicize and support legislation to protect the natural beauty along 92 miles of the Lower Wisconsin River. Susan Michetti demonstrated against nuclear power near the Zion Nuclear Power Plant, which was fined for safety violations and eventually closed down.

A former Chair of the John Muir (Wisconsin) Chapter of the Sierra Club, Spencer Black, chaired the State Assembly Committee which produced the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund in 1989. Others of the "Clean 16" legislators that Sierrans have supported worked hard to pass recycling legislation, wetland preservation laws, air quality monitoring, wolf and eagle recovery plans.

The 90's found us concerned about sewage sludge disposal, zebra mussels and other invasive, alien species in the Great Lakes. Mercury pollution, which resulted in fish advisories in all of Wisconsin lakes, and lead contamination of soils and homes posed hazards to children and women of childbearing age. The Ladysmith and Crandon mines were targets of many of our letters to legislators and editors. Our Governor heard from us for many years in favor of commuter rail rather than the Lakefront arterial that he wanted. Sprawl threats to wise land use plans and wetlands continue to inspire protest. Family farms received our support in competition with corporate farms and confined animal feeding operations (CAFO). These conservation and environmental battles can go on for decades; some we win and some, like the mega-expansion of the Oak Creek coal fired power plant, we lose.

Among the successes is curbside recycling in most municipalities. Water utilities improved their product after cryptosporidium killed people in Milwaukee. The Crandon Mine has been killed and strong legislation restricting sulfide mining has been enacted. There are some "green" conservation developers at work now. Root-Pike WIN was formed and the rivers and watersheds have benefited from their grants and leadership. The Root River and Lake Michigan Pathways (biking and hiking trails) have been completed. We make progress in cleaning up highways and parks. Of special note is the removal of alien, invasive plant species and replacement with native species in Colonial Park and at the Pringle Nature Center. Barry Thomas, Melissa Warner and John Berge lead these efforts, but they need lots of help.

A Household Hazardous Waste site has been established in Racine and monthly collections started. Some brownfields have been cleaned up in both Racine and Kenosha. The Root River salmon and brown trout facility is established and fishing the river is popular if not perfect. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has not been turned into an oilfield up in Alaska--yet. Keep writing congress folks! Forestry plans--we win some and lose some--are more ecologically sound now due to Sierra Club law suits. Chiwaukee Prairie protectors keep raising money and buying up odd lots and the flowers keep on blooming as new leadership takes over the project.

Jay Warner continues to lead our work for commuter rail. As gas prices rise and middle-east chaos grows, we may win here, too. We marched for greener transportation and reduced carbon dioxide production in the Racine Fourth of July Parade. We won't give up there, either.

As public awareness grows and scientific studies continue, many politicians and people in the general public have joined in the fight against Global Warming. Both Racine and Kenosha mayors have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement ("Cool Cities") to cut their city's greenhouse gas emissions. This year, Racine will install solar cells on the City Hall Annex instead of rebuilding a parking lot and is investigating the possibility of signing up with the RecycleBank program which rewards people for recycling. Whether we call it lobbying, educating, prodding or encouraging, with your help we will continue to work with local governments and the public on what can and should be done to fight Global Warming.

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25th Anniversary Celebration Dinner

The Southeast Gateway Group of the Sierra Club will celebrate 25 years of fun, fellowship and accomplishments on Thursday, September 20th. We will celebrate with a catered buffet dinner at the historic Wind Point Lighthouse. Come at 5:00 p.m. to enjoy the scenic Lake Michigan location, share beverages and hors d’oeuveres and conversation with other Sierrans. At 6:00 p.m. we will go inside for the meal catered by Chef John of the Red Onion Cafe. Seating is limited, so send in your reservations early!

Our speaker for the evening will be George Meyer, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. His topic will be the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, which since its establishment in 1989 has purchased for protection and recreation 475,000 acres of land in 71 out of the 72 counties. It is currently funded at $60 million annually and will expire in 2010 if not reauthorized by the State Legislature. Governor Doyle's proposed budget would not only reauthorize the Stewardship Fund, but increase the funding to $105 million per year.

The deadline for registration is Monday, September 10. Send your registration with payment to John Berge, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, WI 53405. If you have questions, call him at 633-8455. To get to the Wind Point Lighthouse and the Wind Point Village Hall, take 3 Mile Road east to the Lake and turn northeast on Lighthouse Drive, past the Shoop Park Golf Course and then east on Village Hall Drive (no street sign). When you arrive at the Wind Point Village Hall, park on the grass on the south side of the driveway.

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Call for Candidates…

The Southeast Gateway Group (SEGG) nominating committee is seeking candidates to run in the fall election for positions on the SEGG Executive Committee. Each position has a tenure of two years. The SEGG Executive Committee meets once a month (except for July) on the second Thursday of each month. Any SEGG member from Racine, Kenosha or Walworth County is encouraged to consider running for one of the three available positions. Candidates are asked to submit a brief biographical statement that tells why they want to run and what they can bring to the Group.

Please submit your name and biographical information by September 1 to Nominating Committee member: Dana Huck, dhuck1@wi.rr.com, (262) 639-0465

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Liquid Fuels
by John Berge

Congress has been under pressure from coal lobbyists and some of their own members from coal mining states to install huge subsidies for what has been termed Coal-to-Liquids technology. First of all, the "liquids" they are referring to are gasoline and diesel fuel for motor vehicles and jet fuel for planes. The panacea these snake oil salesmen are pushing is independence from the petroleum-producing countries, especially those in the middle-east, using this country's large reserves of coal. This would be a huge boondoggle and a disaster for attempts to curb global warming. According to an article in the New York Times, the proposed inducements presented to Congress were: "loan guarantees for six to ten major coal-to-liquid plants, each likely to cost at least $3 billion; a tax-credit of 51 cents for every gallon of coal-based fuel sold through 2020; automatic subsidies if oil prices drop below $40 a barrel; and permission for the Air Force to sign 25-year contracts for almost a billion gallons a year of coal-based jet fuel."

Recently the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency released estimates for the change in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission if petroleum fuel were to be replaced with any of several alternatives fuels. Their calculations include emissions from all parts of the process of making the fuels including fossil extraction, feedstock growth and distribution, as well as averaging for the different methods of producing the fuels. The table below list their estimates for changes in GHG emissions (minus signs indicate a reduction in GHG, plus signs indicate an increase), showing the horrendous expectations of coal-to-liquids.
Ethanol from cellulose: - 91%
Biodiesel: - 68%
Ethanol from sugar cane or beet: - 56%
Electricity: - 47%
Gaseous hydrogen: - 41%
Compressed natural gas: - 29%
Liquified natural gas: - 23%
Ethanol from corn: - 22%
Liquified petroleum gas: - 20%
Methanol: - 9%
Coal-to-liquid with carbon capture: + 4%
Liquid hydrogen: + 7%
Gas to liquid diesel: + 9%
Coal-to-liquid without carbon capture: + 119%

Many of these technologies are still in the pilot plant, laboratory, or in the "gee, wouldn't it be great" idea stage. Breaking down cellulose so that it can be used to make ethanol is possible, but not yet practical, while ethanol from sugar cane is propelling many cars in Brazil. Do we want to burn food in our cars, trucks, buses and airplanes? Carbon capture and storage (sequestration) has only been accomplished in very small trials and special circumstances. Natural gas cars and other vehicles are in use today, especially in fleets where a central fueling station is no problem (Public Works departments and utility fleets). Cross-country travel is another situation all together until a network of stations (gas instead of, or in addition to, gasoline) is established. Hydrogen is a long way off--if ever. Hydrogen from petroleum is just compounding the problem; there is no network of pipelines to bring hydrogen generated from the electricity from wind turbines to where it could be used, and by weight 90 to 95% of a tank full of hydrogen for your car would be the tank, not the hydrogen!

Coal-to-liquid "is the snake oil of energy alternatives" said Peter Altman, a policy analyst at the National Environmental Trust. "The promises are just as lofty and the substance is just as absent as the first snake oil salesmen who plied their trade in the 1800's."

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Southeast Gateway Group Book Club
August 19, 7:00 p.m., Caleo's

Jenn Borrell's book review of Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore’s Dilemma", that was in our last newsletter, inspired me to dig into my pile of unread books. You know, the ones that you buy but never get around to reading. There I found a copy of "The Botany of Desire", also by Michael Pollan. A review from "Home & Garden" said, "Using accessible science, historical events and personal anecdotes, Pollan tells the story of how humans have manipulated apples, tulips, cannabis and potatoes and how the plants have exploited us." From the "New York Times Book Review": "(Pollan) has a wide-ranging intellect, an eager grasp of evolutionary biology and a subversive streak that helps him to root out some wonderfully counter intuitive points."

So, join me, Nancy Hennessy, at Caleo's in Kenosha at 2324 18th St. and we’ll discuss the book. If enough people show up we will decide if we want to make it a regular event. Frequency, time and day (maybe a Sunday afternoon?) can be decided then. If you think you might be interested give me a call. Nancy (262) 639-5639.