Globalization Series conclusion

Part 3 – Date: May 16, 2009, 1:00-3:00pm
The Environmental Impact of Globalization
Speaker: Lauren Horne, Regional Program Manager, Labor Climate Project for the Blue Green Alliance .
Questions to be addressed:
What are the links between globalization and environmental issues, especially climate change?
What are green jobs and why are they increasingly important in today’s world?
How can we shape globalization to benefit rather than harm the environment?

For more information on the Blue Green Alliance click here

Here is an interesting link on how to find a green job.

Our Globalization Series Continues

Check out this article in the City Paper on the program. It is a good interview of Mr. Kernaghan

Don't forget to attend the second program on Globalization. The main speaker is Charlie Kernaghan. Mr Kernaghan is the director of the National Labor Committee, an independent, non-profit human rights organization focused on the protection of worker rights--especially those of the young women assembling garments, shoes, toys and other products for export to the U.S. in Central America, the Caribbean, China and other developing countries.

Kernaghan became involved in the struggle to defend international labor rights after participating in a peace march through Central America in December 1985. He became the director of the NLC in 1990. Pre-1985, Kernaghan taught at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and at SUNY’s Harry Van Arsdale Labor College in New York City. He worked as a photographer, furniture mover, carpenter and shop steward (Carpenters Union Local 608), and cab driver.

Under Kernaghan’s directorship, the National Labor Committee has played the leading role in bringing the issue of sweatshop abuses and child labor before the American people, including through a number of highly publicized exposés and campaigns focused on, among others, the GAP, Kathie Lee Gifford’s use of child labor, Wal-Mart, Disney, “P Diddy Combs “Sean John” label. Within the last year, Kernaghan and the NLC have released major reports on human trafficking and involuntary servitude in Jordan; sweatshop abuses and the return of child labor to the Harvest Rich garment factory in Bangladesh; tragic worker injuries and the Kaisi Metals furniture parts plant in China, and child labor at the Legumex frozen vegetable processing plant in Guatemala. Through such report, work with the press and public campaigns to introduce legislation that will finally protect the rights of workers in the global economy, Kernaghan and the NLC have kept the issues of sweatshops, child labor and the need to protect workers fundamental rights squarely on the national agenda.

Kernaghan has led numerous fact-finding missions to Bangladesh, China, Jordan, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Central America. He and the NLC have hosted U.S. tours of workers from Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, China and Bangladesh. The NLC’s educational videos, Zoned for Slavery (Honduras), Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti; Something to Hide (El Salvador) and Hidden Face of Globalization have widely used by unions, religious organization and in universities throughout the U.S. and internationally. The NLC’s numerous research reports and many successful international solidarity/corporate campaigns have gained enormous media attention and helped the NLC to develop one of the best social justice networks in the country.

Globalization Program Series

Part 2 – April 18, 2009, 1:00-3:00pm
Exposing Globalization’s Dark Side: Sweatshops, Worker Rights and the Fight for Fairness in the World Economy.

Main Speaker: Charlie Kernaghan, internationally-known labor rights advocate and Executive Director of the National Labor Committee and the newly-formed Global Institute for Labor and Human Rights.
How do we change the terms of trade so that more people can benefit (free trade vs. fair trade)?

Charles Kernaghan
Executive Director, National Labor Committee



Part 1 – March 21, 2009, 1:00-3:00pm
Globalization & Its Reach Into Our Lives

Speaker: Kim Miller, National Coordinator of Rapid Response, a national grassroots advocacy program of the United Steelworkers
What are the links between globalization and the current worldwide economic crisis?

Kim Miller has served as the National Coordinator for the United Steelworkers’ (USW) Rapid Response program for the past four years. Rapid Response is a nationwide communication and education network that ensures Steelworker members are aware of legislative decisions and actions that can impact their lives. At critical times, Rapid Response takes action, mobilizing members to influence the political process.

Kim also worked as an organizer for the USW, conducting and taking part in campaigns across the country.

Before joining the USW, Kim worked as a Legislative Assistant and Special Projects Coordinator in the leadership office of former U.S. Representative and Democratic Whip David Bonior, working on trade issues during key Congressional debates. She has also done PAC fundraising for Congressional candidates and served in Americorps, a national service program.

Kim holds a master’s degree in political management from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s in communication from Ohio University.

Kim is a third generation union member. She lives in Mt. Lebanon along with her husband and son, and is active in a number of Pittsburgh-area organizations.


Part 3 – Date: May 16, 2009, 1:00-3:00pm
The Environmental Impact of Globalization

Speaker: Hillary Bright, Associate Regional Representative of the Sierra Club

What are green jobs and why are they increasingly important in today’s world?

New Book

The Green Book: the everyday guide to saving the planet one simple step at a time: is a great little reference guide that provides green information and consumer tips in your workplace and home and suggestions for green shopping alternatives. 333.72 R63--check it out!!

3rd Installment of the Home Energy Savings Program

These notes are courtesy of Mary Beth Thakar. We hope to have a future program on the federal programs available for energy savings upgrades to make our homes more energy efficient. Watch this space for more details.

Michael Merck’s presentation on Nov. 15th :

Windows: The best are wood or vinyl windows insulated with fiberglass. Look for U-value of .35 and check solar heat value. Make sure your contractor seals the windows properly.

Most of the time, replacing windows is not cost-effective. But if your old ones are steel-framed and single pane, it would be cost-effective to replace them.

Cost considerations: Try to go for modifications that will pay back in 10 years or less. Compare the difference between investing your money in a money market – to investing in your house: the savings and investment ratio. If the ratio is 1, then the two investments are equivalent. If more, then the modification is worth considering.

Replacing your incandescents with CFL’s generally pays back in one year.

Solar: Financially, it is a good time to think of solar. The federal incentives by January, 2009 will allow for a tax credit of 30 percent of your costs. (Photovoltaic and solar hot water installations are about $10 per satt). The state is supposed to match the federal incentives – but how you’d be paid back is uncertain: we’ll know by Jan. 2009. Solar is worth considering in Pittsburgh because we do get about four hours of “peak sun.” Solar hot water is not cost-effective, but worth considering because of the federal and state incentives. Furthermore, as energy costs go up, the payback for solar will be quicker.

Solar installations have to be tilted at 30 to 40 degrees in our region and face south. Michael uses a Solar Pathfinder to determine whether your site would be adequate for a solar installation. He says if you have any shade on the south-facing roof, it is unlikely that solar would work for you.

Roofing considerations: Consider if the roof is in good condition. If it will need to be replaced in 10 years or less, replace before adding solar. If you have a slate roof, you will need to replace the solar part of the roof with asphalt prior to applying solar panels. On flat roofs, panels will be angled at 30 to 40 degrees by raising them on angled supports. Solar installations can also be placed on the ground: these cost more money, but they can be moved and oriented to the sun.

Passive Solar: This entails using the sun without any mechanical means – such as adding windows on the south side of your house – or adding thermal mass to soak up heat – or opening blinds in order to get sun. (Tip: don’t put thermostat in sun warmed room or you will get false readings concerning the remainder of the house.)

Thermal (Hot Water) Solar: A solar hot water system will cost about $8000, including an additional hot water heater to kill “bugs”. (The stagnant water may get germs that are killed in the first hot water tank.)

Photovoltaic Solar: Ideally the homeowner should aim to get his electrical use down to 3000 kw annually before considering photovoltaic. The electricity from solar panels comes out in direct current, and must be converted by an inverter box to AC. Michael suggests buying a larger inverter box – in case you expand your photovoltaic system.

The photovoltaic system can be hooked up to the grid. This arrangements will cost about $10 per watt. The law says that the company must buy back any extra electricity that you make, at the same rate that you are charged by the electric company: this is known as net metering. By January, 2009, interconnection agreements may cost $500 to file: now they are free.

If your photovoltaic system is not hooked up to the grid, you will need to have a “battery room” in which to store your excess electricity. This arrangement will cost you about $40 per watt to install. Batteries are inefficient and require lots of maintenance and lots of money. The battery room must be kept at a controlled temperature.

Instantaneous and tankless Hot water systems: The payback for these systems is 8 to 9 years. It will accommodate both washing and showers at the same time. However, there is a 40 to 60 second delay before the water is heated up. Michael feels that gas tankless is more efficient than electric tankless. (He cited the fact that gas has little transportation losses, while electricity loses 30 % of its energy in transmission. However, electricity, once at your house is 70 % efficient, while gas is 70 percent efficient.)

He also mentioned that hot water heaters will finally get energy star labels – not just energy guide labels.

Geothermal: These can be installed vertically or horizontally in the ground – or can be placed in water (pond, for example). Horizontally, a ditch must be dug below the frostline – and a spiralling “Slinky”-like pipe is buried. For each 12,000 BTUs, you’ll need 100 feet of pipe. It’ll cost you $3000 to $5000 for 100 feet.

Wind Turbines: The tower for these has to be 30 feet high – and you can’t have this tower if your neighbors are within 20 to 30 feet. There are horizontal helix fans that won’t shake: they’re quieter and stable. (Michael thought that Soda Construction might install these fans.)

Radon: We have high radon in this mining area. Michael suggests you get a radon test kit – four sampling bottles altogether – and test your house with three of them, leaving the last one to test the lab. (If results come back for all four, then the tests are questionable, in other words.) If the basement has negative pressure, then it is doubtless pulling in radon: the solution it to airseal the basement.

Michael also suggested that borax be mixed with the cellulose to prevent termites.

Home Energy Savings program reminder

Don't forget to attend our 3rd and last program in our series on Home Energy Savings this Saturday. Check our Be Green Series Calendar for full details.

Program Highlights: Saving on Home Energy

Here are notes provided by Mary Beth Thakar on part two of the program series - Saving on Home Energy on October 25 was entitled: Practical and affordable solutions, presented by Michael Merck

Introduction: Pennsylvania ranks 5^th among the states for the largest energy consumption. Most of our electricity comes from coal, but one-third is from nuclear energy.

Gas costs range from $13 to $21 per MCF, while electricity costs between 10 and 18 cents per kilowatt.

Rates are predicted to go up. Natural gas is traded daily, but the price is locked in for consumers for three to six month intervals. Electricity is expected to go up dramatically – on a par with Maryland – which went up 70 percent recently.

Incentives are available to encourage homeowners to improve their home’s energy efficiency. There are 23 counties in the Allegheny Power territory, including part of Westmoreland and Washington counties, as well as the southern tip of Allegheny County. Allegheny Power offers incentives of $200 to $1000 for reducing your energy usage (in BTU’s) from 20 to 50 percent. Note however that you must use a certified energy auditor to prove your savings. The auditor must provide computer modeling to demonstrate your savings. Look at the site for PA Home Energy to get more details.

Additionally, certain low-income persons can get help from certain utilities to cover the cost of energy-saving modifications.

Recently the state approved the expenditure of $150 million to assist homeowners. It is to be distributed over the next 4 to 5 years. Information about how the money is to be disbursed will be available by Jan. 1^st. See these sites for info:

http://www.dsireusa.org/

http://www.gggc.state.pa.us/gggc/site/default.asp

With the federal bailout passage came extension of certain incentives. We were told that you can get up to $9000 for installing solar – or up to 30% of the cost incurred.

House Science Basics

The house is a system.

The system is interconnected with nature – with wind and the “stack effect”

We CAN control the system.

But it is also important to check and control health and safety concerns – particularly carbon monoxide. If you “airseal” your house, you may also keep in the carbon monoxide.

(Stack effect: This effect is stronger as the house gets taller. Air comes up from the basement, and goes out through the attic.)

How to audit your home yourself:

An auditor could come and do a blower test to check the “envelope” of your home and see how tight it is. Or you can look at the west wall of your house – where the wind comes from – and make sure that that side is particularly tight.

See www.energystar.gov for more information about doing an audit yourself.

Begin by comparing your house with others in your area. You calculate the number of BTU’s you use to heat your home, divided by the “conditioned” square footage of your home, divided by the number of heating degree days in your area. If you have an all-electric home, you will have to extract the kilowatts you use to heat your home from your total bill. And for square footage, be sure to subtract any square footage that is not heated or conditioned, such as basements, attics, or garages. And to convert MCF’s to BTU’s, multiply by 1 million – and to convert CCF’s to BTU’s, multiply by 100,000.

The formula looks like this:

(BTU’s used to heat home/conditioned square footage)/5910

5910 is the number of heating degree days in Pittsburgh, believe it or not.

Your answer will tell you how your house is doing on a scale of 0-22. If your house is 8 or under, your house is efficient. If it is between 8 to 22, then there are opportunities to improve your home. See the energystar site above for more information.

Or comparing your home in another way, an average sized home in February should have a heating bill of $200 or less.

In conducting an audit, Michael said one must compare how a homeowner actually uses energy (“trueing up”) with the expected use of energy. Sometimes these differ widely between persons.

Basic kinds of issues in homes:

Diffusion: this is the movement of moisture. The adage is, “Build it tight, but ventilate it right.” A house can be too tight: for example, when you see moisture on an outside wall – that is, an inside wall that touches the outside. In this case, you will need to have a fan to remove the moisture, pushing air out at 50 cubic feet per minute (CFM’s). These days there are exceptionally quiet fans available, using low energy, that work 24 hours per day. You can also use a dehumidifier.

Convection: This is the movement of heat through fluid – air or liquid. The “convective loop” occurs when air is pushed in low, but pushed out high.

Radiation: Heat moves from high to low pressure rather than rising. And it is hot air that will move itself to the coldest part of the house.

An example is when you are standing close to a window on a cold day. You sense that cold air is getting in through the window. But actually what is happening is that the heat from your body is radiating and “convecting” off of your body, making you feel cold.

Another myth about windows is that it is a very good idea to replace windows. There is not that much benefit from going from single pane to triple pane windows. What is more important is making sure that the windows are well sealed. Michael suggests that instead you install storm windows

Improvements that you make towards energy efficiency also lend themselves to improving your comfort.

Do-It-Yourself modifications

You can caulk and weatherstrip. Do these from the outside (both??)

Consider installing interior or exterior storm windows. Even the plastic cellophane products are helpful. Replacing windows is 99 percent not cost effective, unless they don’t close or lock or latch. (This is more of a safety issues.) However, if you have the worst windows – i.e., single pane aluminum metal windows – the payback for these will be 10 years or less.

Install compact fluorescent lightbulbs. (See these websites for more info: http://www.efi.org/ and http://www.maxlite.com/

Be sure to try to “air-seal” before insulating. That is, find the holes and fill them. (When air comes in contact with insulation, it degrades it. Example, if fiberglass is not pink or yellow, then it’s dirty and it is not insulating any more. ) Polyurethane foams no longer contain formaldehyde gases – so these are safe to use.

As regards insulation, the home improvement stores do offer classes on these subjects. Blown in cellulose is simply recycled newspaper – and is not harmful.

Consider acquiring a Kill-a-watt to measure the usage of electricity by your appliances. Here’s a review of this product: http://greenertrends.com/2008/08/13/gt-product-review-kill-a-watt/

Michael’s recommendations – and debunking energy myths:

Switching lights on and off does not use more energy than leaving them on. (Michael wasn’t so sure about fluorescent tubes.)

Bigger HVAC units are not better. If not properly sized for your needs, the unit may short-cycle, going on and off every 5 to 10 minutes. Undersizing is better. If you have a bigger unit – and then you “air-seal” and insulate, you will be better off, cost-wise, to replace a larger unit with a unit that is sized to your new needs.

The furnace is working optimally when on the coldest day of the year, it never turns off.

Michael recommends getting an EnergyStar programmable thermostat that can be programmed for five to seven days. Many people might be able to install this thermostat without aid of an electrician – using the instructions with the device. But he advises to be sure to wrap the wires around a pencil to avoid them falling down inside the wall.

Is a zero energy home possible? Michael says, no, though you can have a “net zero energy home.”

Does a house need to breathe? Yes, it does, but it must be controlled. As an example, air for the furnace should not be brought in from outside – unless it is for combustion. Sometimes hot water heaters use outside air for combustion.

There is an ASHRAE formula for figuring the ventilation required.

7.5 (number of people in the house) = .01 (conditioned square feet) = the required ventilation for tight envelopes.

6. Should I replace a single-pane window in my basement with glass block? Yes, but mostly for security compared to energy savings.

Questions:

Should I vent my attic? That depends. For instance, if there is a heating system in the attic, then, no. Michael recommends gable end ventilation rather than soffit and fascia. A path is needed for humidity.

Why do hot water heaters last such a short time? Another audience member said it was because of all the minerals in our water that accumulate on our electrodes, causing them to erode. Hot water heaters last about 10 years. Michael does recommend gas instantaneous hot water heaters. These can be vented outside of the home. Their life expectancy is better than tanks. These systems can provide water to the whole house or at different locations (bathroom, kitchen sink). If “whole house”, there is some water wasted, but on the whole, you use less energy.

Michael added that you cannot have solar and instantaneous hot water together. Solar hot water requires the use of two tanks, one to kill germs, and the other to heat the water. Solar hot water systems cost $8000 to 10,000.

Michael further added that 30 to 40 square feet of solar hot water would give you enough hot water, while an equal amount of electricity-producing solar photovoltaics would only give you about 500 watts (per day??).

What is the worst furnace?? Michael said in this area, the 80+ atmospheric boiler is popular – but not efficient. Oftentimes, the burners on this boiler get dirty and there is incomplete combustion, causing carbon monoxide to be formed. You can have this boiler tested for CO, but be sure that the test is done inside the tubing between the boiler and the bell. If you cannot afford to replace this unit, then have an HVAC guy come and check the fuel pressure and fuel-to-air ratio.

How can you zone your house, so that hot air goes where it is most wanted? Michael said that it was best to install “slider dampers” on the ducts in the basement, rather than simply closing the vents in the room that doesn’t need heat.

How do you know if your gas oven is burning properly? The flame should be blue rather than yellow. These are notorious for “exhaling” carbon monoxide. Michael recommends having UL-rated (Underwriters Laboratory) CO monitors on every floor. There should be no more than 9 ppm of CO. Side effects of “mild” CO poisoning are grumpiness, edginess, unable to concentrate, and lethargic.

When should I have an audit done? Energy audits can be done at any time of year. Michael’s audits takes two hours.

Which insulation material should I use to insulate a hole above my basement window? Fiberglass does not provide an air barrier – so it would be better to use rigid board or polyurethane foam. Warning: if you have “knob-and-tube” wiring, you cannot use cellulose for insulation in your walls.

Question on insulating ducts: Michael said it was more important to insulate “return” ducts.

Is there a way to insulate brick walls? You can make small holes in the mortar and use a slow-rise foam called “air-crete”.

Where do you find the material to put behind hot water radiators – to radiate the heat back into the house instead of into an outside wall? There is something called “super-tough” at most home improvement . It appears to be blue on the shelf, but it is reflective on the back. Also there is a product called, thermo-ply, but it is not at home improvement stores.

How do you deal with a chimney and fireplace that is no longer used? Michael recommends sealing it at the top. If still using the fireplace occasionally, fit the chimney below with a friction-fitted board. EFI.org has appropriate gizmos.