SOUTH WATERFRONT
PORTLAND OREGON

We all know that Green Buildings save energy, but why does this matter besides saving money? I think that we need to look at a deeper level to truly measure the worth of those savings. By saving energy we leave alone those sources that would be used to make that energy, whether that is fossil fuel (Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, Etc.) or water (Hydropower). By not digging or drilling for more fossil fuels we save the land they lay under and so preserve the natural world that plants and animals live in. We also provide untouched areas for ecological functions that the world needs to function correctly, such as Rain Forests, Wetlands, etc. By not burning those fossil fuels we also save the air quality that all living things need and also do not create additional heat trapping greenhouse gases which could lead to global warming.

The dams that make Hydropower impede fish runs and the reservoirs behind dams warm the water above natural temperature or in some cases release deep reservoir cold water into a normally warmer river. Both these situations harm native river ecosystems. So by reducing the need for more energy we reduce the need for dams built to supply power. Since some dams across the country are reaching the end of their physical life the opportunity to remove them becomes an option. These are serious issues that not only affect the human population of the world but also affect the rest of the world’s wildlife. Without a wide diversity of life on the planet we will have a very lonely planet.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 9:22 am and is filed under Green Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Saving Energy, Saving the Earth”

1. Susan Walenza Says:
   December 23rd, 2007 at 8:26 pm

   Speaking of a lonely planet. some related issues come to mind. Two friends in the last week, one older and one younger, seemed resigned to believing our chances to make a real difference are lost, despite Portland’s progressiveness. I tried to convince them that speaking out counts, and so I take this chance to speak about issues that I care about in our neighborhood. The first is related to the water quality in the river outside our front doors. I look out at the muddy mounds under the Ross Island Bridge, and can’t help comparing them with the bioswales in South Waterfront, fascinated as I am with the look of the new ones in the Atwater area. I feel concerned about the runoff from that industrial site directly into our Willamette. This is a local issue and I would like to raise it for discussion.

   Secondly, we have in our vistas river, sky, and then the manmade skyline, mountains in the distance, all beautiful. Carefully planned lighting in the OHSU parking lot next to Curry casts the light downward where it is needed. Why has OHSU then planted all of the lighting under the Markham Bridge with the light cast upwards, taking away our night and that of the animals that might inhabit the night near a river, even in an urban environ? It is the same with the lights that shine directly towards the south from the Zidell barge building site. I miss the night and its darkness. Lights should point at the ground where they are needed, respecting others’ right to a dark night. Studies reflect the human and animal needs for darkness in our nocturnal cycles.

   Lastly, in this season of giving, with thoughts of a predicted planetary crisis, I have a proposal. Perhaps we could have a neighborhood exchange, so that the little used Cuisinart I no longer use might be of use to someone, who might have something else I need. We might be able then to use less “stuff”, thinking about and buying only what we really actually need. An unneeded something could go without so much as a drive in the car to someone who could use it, no money involved… just barter. Would take us back ages, and is perhaps a different kind of community building, one that changes our attitudes about consumption.

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