Some companies find it easy to be green

Last night, the EPA honored 17 organizations and businesses that are voluntarily purchasing power from renewable resources.

To put these organizations' contributions in perspective, the EPA estimates that their contributions will avoid the equivalent amount of CO2 emissions of 450,000 vehicles each year.

At the top of the EPA's "Partners of the Year" list - surprisingly - I found a municipality: the city of Bellingham, Wash (you'll find it practically in Canada). New Jersey's own Johnson & Johnson, Texas-based Whole Foods, Massachusetts-based Staples and California's Wells Fargo & Co. were also "partners," as were New York's Pepsi Co. and Mohawk Fine Papers. For the full release click here.

I perused the EPA's Web site for Maryland interest, and discovered Montgomery County's wind energy purchases landed it a #4 spot on the Top 10 Local Government list.

A few Maryland companies are also listed as 100% green power purchasers, including Cheverly-based MOSAIC (a print communication company), Rockville-based My Organic Market, and Annapolis's Rockfish Bar and Grill.

What are some other local companies that you think deserve recognition? And how important is it for businesses to invest in green power?

-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor

Have you ever heard of Inspector O?

Well neither have I, but I came across a mention of him/her yesterday when I was doing some Web surfing. According to the Baltimore city Web site, Inspector O is quite possibly the nation's first advice column on environmental health and hygiene regulation.

The site offers this description:
"Inspector O: There is a new sleuth about town to help Baltimore residents understand environmental regulations and other related mysteries. The Baltimore City Health Department is proud to introduce Ask Inspector O, a Web-based advice column for businesses and city residents about such issues as rat control, restaurant safety, pool hygiene and other important but little-understood facts of life. To ask your own question, please send an email to: AskInspectorO@baltimorecity.gov "

I'm glad to hear about the service, but I'm also a little curious about Inspector O, and what other important but little-understood facts of life he/she could be talking about. I'm thinking of some great stuff to ask Inspector O right now.

What would you like to ask Inspector O? Let me know and I'll post an upcoming blog entry about the answers.

-TODD ZIMMERMAN, Presentation Editor

Calvert County OKs nuclear

In a world gone "green," Calvert County officials have given the thumbs-up to an old yet controversial standby: nuclear energy. A recent AP article says that the county’s elected officials sent a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission giving their support for building a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.

Constellation Energy Group, based here in Baltimore, filed a partial application for the 1,600-megawatt reactor in Lusby. It would be the first commercial reactor built in the U.S. in approximately 30 years.

To counter those who are sure to bring up Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, Constellation is estimating that the reactor could employ about 2,500 people and that the Calvert Cliffs facility expansion would bring another 400 full-time jobs. The county is expecting about $16 million in taxes this year from the facility — 8 percent of the county’s tax revenue. Jobs and revenue aside, there’s also the eco-friendly allure of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The flip side of that, according to groups like Beyond Nuclear, is nuclear waste — how much of it will be left over, and where can we store it safely. And this may be yet another target in the U.S. for a terrorist attack. Of course, what isn’t, these days? But should we really be adding to the 11 nuclear plants already in the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

Whether we poison the sky with an overloaded carbon cycle, or we bury a toxic combustible byproduct, policymakers seem to struggle with bringing innovation into our energy policy. Yes, wind and solar are picking up some steam in certain areas — but how long has that taken? Not as long as the wind and sun have been around, but long enough.

What do you think?

-FRANCIS SMITH, Special Publications Assistant Editor