by Renee Kjartan

Stop Sprawl

The group1000 Friends of Washington is ramping up its anti-sprawl campaign, taking aim at this blight that cuts into open space and farmland, and spreads out residences and businesses so that walking is too far and car trips are necessary to go almost anywhere. The result is clogged roads, pollution, and loss of community. Among the ways to beat the blight, 1000 Friends suggests volunteering some time to 1000 Friends; writing a letter about sprawl to the editor of a paper and to congressional representatives; pointing out good examples of denser development; and simplifying one's life by taking the bus, supporting nearby businesses, and limiting the number of trips by car. [See the Do Something! page in this issue for how to get in touch with 1000 Friends of Washington.]

The Hard Facts About Cement

Environmentalists protest the paving over of farmlands, forests, and other green areas. Now Earth Island Journal cites a professor at the Geopolymer Institute in France who estimates that producing the world's 1.4 billion tons of cement each year in itself produces seven percent of the world's planet-warming CO2. "Cement-making is not only highly polluting, it is also energy intensive, requiring temperatures of 2642 F. to convert calcium carbonate into calcium oxide," Earth Island Journal noted. The Journal quoted New Scientist as reporting that in 1997 the European Union exempted the cement industry from a proposal to cut Europe's CO2 emissions "because its energy use is so high that it was thought a tax would damage it." The Journal says that with cement production growing at five percent a year, "the cement industry could account for 10 percent of global CO2 emissions by 2000.

Taking Aim At SUV's

Sport-utility vehicles, light trucks, and their ilk now make up the single greatest source of greenhouse-producing gases in North America, according to Northwest Environment Watch [1402 Third Ave, Suite 1127, Seattle, 98101-2118; www.northwestwatch.org]. Fed up with these hoggish vehicles that are exempt from meeting the stricter federal emissions requirements for cars, the California Air Resources Board will require them to comply with the state's vehicle emission requirements by 2004, according to Earth Island Journal. [The Journal has won the Alternative Press Award for Best Scientific and Environmental Reporting. [300 Broadway, #28, San Francisco, CA 94133-3312; www.earthisland.org]. Friends of the Earth also has been campaigning against these "road hogs." See their web site at www.suv.org for more information.

Tired Of Waiting For Governments To Act: Cities Act To Cut Emissions Of Climate-Changing Gases

Some 280 cities or municipalities around the world have joined in a campaign to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and related air pollutants.

These local areas are tired of waiting for their governments to act and are trying to cut their fuel emissions now in an effort to stave off drastic climate change. In North America these localities include Toronto, Chula Vista, Dade County, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, and St. Paul. In Europe, Bologna, Copenhagen Hanover, Helsinki and Saarbrucken have joined the campaign. [webmaster@iclei.org; or Cities for Climate Protection, 15 Shattuck Sq., Suite 215, Berkeley, Ca. 94704.]