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| What is Your Carbon Footprint? |
This week on April 17, the Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Brookhaven National Laboratory held a combined EARTH SUMMIT at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in an effort to combine " Good science and good advocacy to advance a 2102 Earth Agenda for Long Island".
Complete with tours of the BNL Solar Farm and individual workshops with distinguished experts discussing some pressing issues for Long Island the summit's topics included, the need to protect the Island's estuaries, rivers, bays and waterways and especially the need for protecting the potable water supply while also delving into potential future energy solutions.
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| Solar Panels at Brookhaven National Lab |
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| Solar Panels Appear as Water From the Air |
The conference was an all day affair, beginning for many with a tour of the highly successful solar farm, which supplies power directly into the LIPA Grid.
Back at BNL's Berkner Hall and conference center there was a choice of several workshops in the early afternoon:
Toxic Tides: What's Lurking in our Bays
with Dr. Chris Gobler, Professor, SUNY Stonybrook
Long Island's Energy Future: Go Renewables!
Meeting Our Energy Challenges
100% Renewables=100% Possible
with Gordian Raacke, Executive Director Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI)
Electrification and Long Island with Dr. Gerald M. Stokes, Associate Laboratory Director for Global & Regional Solutions, BNL
Later in the day the choice of workshops included:
Hydrogeology of Long Island: Groundwater Threats and Contamination
-What Can We Do About It?
The Hydrogeology of Long Island
with Dick Cartwright Hydrologist, US Geological Survey, New York Water Science Center
Drinking Water Threats and Solutions
with Maureen Dolan Murphy, Executive Programs Manager, Citizens Campaign for the Environment
and
Smart Planning: Preserving Open Space, Our Natural World and Growing Long Island
with Eric Alexander, Executive Director of Vision Long Island
David Calone, Chair of the Suffolk County Planning Commission and
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment
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| Informative Discussions at the Earth Summit |
WHAT ARE LONG ISLAND'S GREATEST ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES?
After the workshops there was a panel discussion moderated by Maureen Dolan Murphy ( Citizens Campaign for the Environment). Ms. Dolan Murphy posed that question to a varied group of panelists including, Eric Alexander, Dave Calone, Richard Cartwright, Adrienne Esposito, Gordian Raacke, Dr. Gerald Stokes and Kara Hahn; Suffolk County Legislator, Neal Lewis; Executive Director of Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, John McNally; Rauch Foundation and Peter Scully; Regional Director, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
With a little over three minutes for each panelist to answer the question of what are Long Island's greatest environmental challenges- their perspectives varied.
Gordian Raake (Renewable Energy Long Island) spoke about the rise of sea level and the effects of storm surges on all water edge properties.
Dr. Stokes discussed global and regional solutions being worked on at BNL and was particularly concerned of our need to be aware of climate change and its challenges, not wanting a "death of a thousand cuts" by ignoring the effects already being felt.
Droughts, fires and a rise in sea level could change Long Island forever. Climate zones are already being changed by the Horticultural Society.
Neal Lewis (Executive Director of the Sustainability Institute of Molloy College) cited a specific goal of a decrease in Carbon Dioxide by 80% by 2050, with a more aggressive approach to have that goal reached by 2020. Professor Lewis said the biggest challenge confronting our society is "politics".
"The political system is not working to protect our ecosystem."
David Calone, another panelist (Jove Equity Partners, a venture capital firm) who also sits on the LIPA Board of Trustees, said "Policy needs to change. There needs to be an integration of agriculture and economic development." Mr. Calone advocated for a redemption of the Pine Barrens credits and a push to finance sewers wherever possible. At the present time Pine Barrens credits are not being redeemed or retired.
Eric Alexander (Vision Long Island) said that "Trying to retrofit our downtowns, with housing, energy and transportation is the goal." There are 15 Regional Plans currently being considered and 73 local plans are also still alive. The problem is the banks aren't financing and SEQRA regulations may be too strong, according to Mr. Alexander. There is a disconnect between Regional and Local Planning that needs to be addressed, he added.
Adrienne Esposito, the host and Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) also gave her response as a panelist answering that the real challenge is to educate the public. To dispel the fear and ignorance and make people realize that the drinking water quality is degrading. There was MTBE, a gasoline additive found in 330 test wells. That is just a sample of one toxic carcinogen, there are many more found each year and sometimes the solution is blending good water to bad water to lower the amount in a given well that has exceeded maximum contamination levels according to government standards. Getting this message out is the challenge Ms. Esposito and the CCE are tackling with conferences such as this Earth Summit.
Richard Cartwright, (U.S. Geological Survey) said the water supply itself was his greatest concern.
Since 1986 he has been involved with water-resource investigations of groundwater quantity and quality throughout Long Island and New York City. According to Mr. Cartwright, the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) sees peak pumping use in the AM in the Spring and Summer.
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, who also Chairs the SC Legislature's Environmental Committee
pledged to bring back the information to the rest of the Suffolk County Legislature and to continue to protect Long Island's water supply by oversight and education.
Peter Scully (Regional Director DEC) said there is a real need to expand waste treatment facilities for Long Island but in the economic climate this is difficult. In the DEC also, the staffing is down and resources at the DEC are at a premium. NIMBY'ism (Not In My Backyard)
is a real challenge for things to get accomplished and there is a need to balance development and environmental protection and a true need for the general public to look at things in a more long term way instead of just dealing with short range problems. With the general public "out of sight out of mind", according to Mr. Scully.
John McNally, (Raush Foundation) was emphatic about the need to create a protection plan and an agency whose sole charge is to protect the aquifer. Once again the idea of balance was put forth, in this case the challenges of climate change balanced against economic growth and the need to balance political courage with an informed citizenry.
David Spritzen (Long Island Progressive Coalition) said that on the state level Long Island receives only 3.5% of Federal waste water treatment dollars. He said there was the need to leverage private investments and used the Caithness plant as an example of the need to use private capital to create public utilities. More public announcements and involvement is the key, according to Mr. Spritzen.
A short question and an answer period was followed by the keynote speaker of the day and the topic was "Why We Should Leave Small Fish in the Sea."
Little Fish are Big in the Ocean Ecosystem
Ellen Pikitch, Professor and Executive Director Institute for Ocean Conservation Science was the keynote speaker. Dr. Pikitch's research focuses on the interconnectedness of the oceans and the idea that species and habitats cannot be managed successfully in isolation. Dr. Pikitch is on the forefront in work ranging from basic scientific innovations to domestic and international policy change- with the goal of improving ocean conservation worldwide.
Dr. Pikitch is the Chairperson of the new Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, a team of policy experts and top scientists from around the world who will address the escalating environmental dilemma of the depletion of forage fish-(bait fish or small schooling fish), a crucial species in the food web. These little fish such as sardines, anchovies, sand eels, frill and herring are food for other fish, mammals and seabirds, and are used for fish oil capsules for humans and in pet food (fish meal) as a filler. Their loss signals the depletion of many other species including entire fish, marine mammals and seabird colonies. Marine life is disappearing.
According to Dr. Pikitch, these fish are worth twice as much in the water where they feed the larger fish and keep the ocean's ecosystem in proper balance. Since these fish usually live in dense schools, they are relatively easy to catch in nets and so the recommendation of the Lenfest Task Force is to lower the catches by half- and tailor the recommendations for the needs of specific ecosystems.
Forage fish are 37% of the world's total marine catch: 31.5 million tons per year. 90% of the catch is processed or reduced to make fish meal and fish oil and for aqua and agriculture and industrial purposes.
On salmon farms: It takes 3-5 lbs of fish meal to create one lb of salmon
On tuna farms: It takes 20 lbs of fish meal to create one lb of tuna
These fish colonies are very vulnerable to collapse as their own food sources (plankton etc.) are highly variable and sensitive to the environment. Collapses have occurred:
In the 1950"s....California Sardines
1970's....Peruvian Anchovies
1970's...Namibian Sardines
1990's....Japanese Sardines
Prior to 1953, the "Guano Island Birds" whose diet included forage fish, created fertilizer used in agriculture. The birds were cut out of the process in 1953 and the fish were taken directly from the sea causing the seabird population to rapidly decline and the numbers have never recovered.
There are success stories such as in the Barents Sea, North of Norway and Russia. Capelin fish supplies were severely depleted, and regulations were put into place so that if the biomass (total amount of fish) falls below 200,000 tons..then fishing is prohibited. Capelin stocks are now abundant.
Case studies have improved scientists' understanding of the causes of collapses and Dr. Pikitch and her colleagues' approach to the problem includes conducting workshops, making site visits, teaching both the theory and practice, conducting case studies and collecting data on forage fish and predators.
Dr. Pikitch's research also focuses on advancing knowledge of vulnerable and ecologically important marine mammals, such as sharks whose populations are declining due to destructive commercial fishing practices and sturgeon whose prized caviar eggs put them at extreme risk. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Pikitch and the research of the Institute, international trade restrictions on great white sharks have been
instituted and the beluga sturgeon is now listed on the Endangered Species list and there is a U.S. ban on wild beluga caviar. Dr. Pikitch and her team developed sophisticated DNA-based forensic techniques to help identify shark species from a small piece of tissue, even from a dried fin. Those techniques are now being used by enforcement agents to detect and prosecute illegal sales of shark fins and allowed Dr. Pikitch and her team to compile the first global estimate of the number of sharks killed for the shark fin trade.
Dr. Pikitch recommends a tiered management approach, focus on the predators both spatial and temporal and to cut forage fishing in half which leaves twice as many fish in the ocean in many ecosystems. The key for scientists is an ecosystem-based management where the benefits reduce collapses and increase the catch of bigger fish. Dr. Pikitch will attend the "Committee on Fisheries Conference" to be held in Rome this July.
Many Long Island Environmental Groups had tables at the conference and handed out literature, answered questions, got petitions signed and generally added to the quality and tone of the day.
DONT RUSH TO FLUSH
Citizens Campaign for the Environment were the co-host of the Summit. They are very interested in stopping the improper disposal of pharmaceuticals.
DO NOT FLUSH OLD, UNUSED MEDICINES DOWN THE TOILET
CCE wants people to know that according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the nations waterways have been testing positive for trace amounts of pharmaceutical contaminants with an estimated 41 million Americans drinking water from a source containing trace amounts of hormones, antibiotics, steroids and contraceptives in 80% of the water tested since 2002.
Groups who left literature or had a table and identified their websites would be happy to have you visit them to obtain more information on a variety of topics. Their hope is that you get involved in any way possible so just press the link and it will take you directly to their web site.
Long Island is a sole source aquifer region, which means residents rely on the groundwater for 100% of their drinking water. Contamination of the groundwater by pharmaceuticals disposed of by flushing them negatively impacts public health and the environment. (CCE brochure)
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| Citizens Campaign For The Environment |
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| Peconic Estuary Program |
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| Sierra Club |
Some notable groups present:
Citizens Campaign for the Environment: www.citizenscampaign.org
Brookhaven National Laboratory: www.bnl.gov
Long Island Sierra Club: www.lisierraclub.org
Peconic Baykeeper: www.peconicbaykeeper.org
Peconic Estuary Program: www.PeconicEstuary.org
GROUP for the East End: www.eastendenvironment.org
Earth Share of New York: www.earthshareny.org
Group for the South Fork: www.groupforthesouthfork.org
The Cesspool Project which is a coordinated effort to find environmental solutions to the problems of malfunctioning cesspools on Long Island and their intrusion into the sole water source aquifer has been a joint effort of the following five groups representing 12 municipalities on Long Island.
Friends of the Bay (Oyster Bay): www.friendsofthebay.org
The Town of Oyster Bay: www.oysterbaytown.com/
Manhasset Bay Protection Committee: www.manhassetbayprotectioncommittee.org/
Oyster Bay/ Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee: www.friendsofthebay.org/
Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee: www.hempsteadharbor.org/
Suffolk County Water Authority: www.scwa.com/
Vision Long Island: www.visionlongisland.org
LIPA: www.lipower.org
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