Eco Report – December 30, 2022

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HEADLINES

The lead story in the December 18 Herald-Times is headlined as “Cleaner energy options”. The story is about Salesforce, Roche, and Cummins, all calling for more availability of green energy. Maybe they can exert some sway on the legislature, even though that seems very unlikely.

 —Norm Holy

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has approved the dedication of Sycamore Land Trust’s Clemens Place on Clifty Creek in Greene County as a Dedicated Nature Preserve.

—Kate Hammel

Scrub Hub, a part of the IndyStar operation, monitors various environmental issues, and recently published a story on emissions. They found that as a state, we were one of just 10 that emitted nearly half of the country’s carbon dioxide.

 —Norm Holy

Why is it that Indiana attracts new industries from out-of-state that aim to place a process in Indiana that could prove to heavily pollute our air? The latest site sits behind parked railroad cars painted in graffiti, where abandoned concrete silos rise from the sandy southern shore of Lake Michigan, a remnant of a former cement plant that helped build the country’s interstate highway system.

—Norm Holy

Investment management firm The Vanguard Group is walking out of the world’s largest climate-finance alliance, marking the coalition’s biggest defection to date as U.S. Republicans step up their threats against firms deemed hostile toward the fossil-fuel industry.

—Norm Holy

Congress has proposed $1 billion to help poor countries cope with climate change, a figure that falls significantly short of President Biden’s promise that the United States will spend $11.4 billion annually by 2024 to ensure developing nations can transition to clean energy and adapt to a warming planet.

—Norm Holy

A ban on goods imported by the U.S. from the Xinjiang region in China, due to concerns over forced labor, has impeded imports of solar panels, putting solar installations in the U.S. on course to drop by almost a quarter this year, according to this year’s U.S. Solar Market Insight report, released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and energy research and consultancy group Wood Mackenzie.

—Norm Holy

 

CALENDAR

Take your First Day Hike at Morgan-Monroe State Forest on Sunday, January 1st, 2023, beginning at 8 am.  Meet at the Walls Shelter for this approximately 1-mile hike on a paved trail.  You will leave the shelter and return to the shelter.  Wear comfortable shoes.

You can also take a First Day Long Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Sunday, January 1st, 2023, from 9 to 10 am.  Join the naturalist at the Lakeview Activity Center for a hike around the lake on Trail 5.  It is 1-mile long and partially rugged.  You can enjoy hot chocolate and cookies at the end of your hike.

The 10th Annual First Day Trail Run and Walk will take place at the Fairfax State Recreation Area at Monroe Lake on Sunday, January 1st, 2023, beginning at 3:30 pm.  Choose from a 3.7 mile; 2.9 mile; or 1.3 mile course for this untimed, non-competitive run/walk.  Ring in the new year as you cross the finish line.  Register at bit.ly/firstdayrun2023.

Whooper Wednesday will continue every Wednesday at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area until February 8th.  Meet at 9 am for a morning bird walk to spot Goose Pond resident winter birds, including the endangered Whooping Cranes.  Dress for the weather.

Take the Wolf Full Moon Hike at Brown County State Park on Friday, January 6th, 2023, from 5:30 to 7 pm.  Hike on Trail 7 around Lake Ogle to learn the history and lore of the Wolf Full Moon.  Trail 7, at night, is considered rugged and is 1.2 miles long.