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The Ambler Green Committee is part of the Ambler Main Street Business Association. The Green Committee works toward helping local businesses pursue green initiatives and earth-friendly practices.

You do not need to be a resident of Ambler to participate. The Committee is in need of volunteers. Please contact us for further information.

Meetings are open to the public. The next meeting will be:
February 4, 1:00 PM
The Ambler Theater
108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA

Energy Star and LEED EBOM: A Toolkit for Existing Buildings, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 8:30 AM — 10:30 AM

Building Owners and Managers are currently faced with the challenge of making their existing buildings more energy efficient, while keeping a close eye on capital expenditures in an unstable economy. There are tools available to help you get started, but which ones should you be using? Energy Star? LEED? This session will demonstrate how both of these tools are an important part of your toolkit and how you can use them to achieve favorable results. Andrew Kreider from the EPA will give you an overview of Energy Star Portfolio Manager, and Bill Craig from Re:Vision Architecture will review how LEED EBOM (Existing Building, Operations & Maintenance) tackles energy efficiency, and beyond. Marla Thalheimer, Sustainability Manager from Liberty Property Trust will provide an example of how Liberty is using these tools to measure, set goals and track the results throughout their portfolio. Together well look at the advantages, the differences, and how they work together to ultimately create a high performance building.

Where: Temple University Center City (TUCC), 1515 Market Street, Room 222

Recycling Tools for Schools K-12 Workshop: Collect It, Haul It, Recycle It!, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 8:00 AM — 12:30 PM

The Green Schools Circle of DVGBC presents this informative workshop for teachers, students, school administrators, community members, and everyone else to come share ideas, recycling program success stories, and bring it back to YOUR SCHOOL!

Where: Chester County Intermediate Unit Conference Center, 455 Boot Road, Downingtown, PA

Workers are in the process of removing six underground storage tanks at the abandoned former Malcolm’s gas station and auto repair facility in Warrington, Pa. to make way for a Recovery Act-funded project to determine possible contamination at the property.
In August 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency distributed $6.16 million in Recovery Act funding to Pennsylvania to assess and clean up underground storage tank petroleum leaks. The abandoned Malcolm’s gas station, located at 994 Easton Rd., will be assessed for soil and groundwater pollution. The project is being funded because the responsible parties are unable or unwilling to conduct the cleanup.

“This project is a prime example of how Recovery Act funding is helping local communities address environmental threats,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “For a small amount of money, we can make a significant, positive impact on improving the environment. This work also paves the way for redevelopment and future job creation.”

The greatest potential hazard from a leaking underground storage tank is that petroleum or other hazardous substances seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly one-third of all Americans.

Under a cooperative agreement with EPA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) will manage the project. In 2002 PADEP inspected the underground storage tanks at Malcolm’s and found a multitude of violations including the failure to install and maintain equipment to prevent releases and the failure to conduct regular leak detection on six underground storage tanks, including one 500-gallon tank that is still full of used oil and sludge from the auto repair side of the gas station. The other tanks (two 4,000-gallon tanks and three 6,000-gallon tanks) which held gasoline, diesel and kerosene, have already been removed and were empty. The tanks are between 20 and 30 years old and are made of bare steel, which is subject to corrosion.

The gas station owner failed to install the required leak detection equipment and abandoned the site shortly after the 2002 inspection.

After all the tanks are removed, PADEP will sample the surrounding soil and groundwater to determine if petroleum products have been released to the environment, and the nature and extent of any contamination.

The tank removal and site assessment are being conducted by PADEP through local certified contractors. The work is expected to provide two to five temporary jobs and will cost approximately $75,000. The results of the initial assessment will help determine the scope and cost of the cleanup phase to follow.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Feb. 17, and has directed the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at www.Recovery.gov. As part of the Recovery Act, $200 million was allocated for cleanup of petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks.

NORRISTOWN – County employees looking to recycle the soda can they just emptied or the cardboard box that a delivery just came in will no longer have to go looking for a way to do it starting next week.

Employees who work in the Court House, One Montgomery Plaza and the Human Services center will begin using a single desk-side container for all recycling beginning December 1, 2009.

Through a contract with Waste Management, Montgomery County buildings will now be offered a ‘Single Stream’ recycling collection method.

This method will allow the employee to throw aluminum and tin cans, plastic narrow necked bottles #1-7, glass food and beverage containers, newsprint, paperboard, office paper, junk mail and cardboard all in the same bin.

Single Stream recycling will help the County workforce recycle more which in turn will have a positive effect on the environment and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

“We want to have 100 percent participation,” Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Jim Matthews said.

“In these economic times, we’re struggling to keep our costs flat and recycling is one of the easiest things employees can do,” Matthews said. “Recycling means less waste, lower tipping fees and, hopefully, a small return on the materials.”

Society as a whole benefits as well, said Chris Kaasmann, Montgomery County’s Recycling Coordinator.

“The energy it takes for 1 aluminum soda can to be recycled is approximately 95% less than what it would take to make a can from virgin materials,” Kaasmann said.

Employees are being asked to sign a pledge to reuse and recycle as much as they can at all times in the work place.

“By signing the pledge each employee becomes accountable for the waste they produce. Hopefully, this will make them think twice about where that water bottle or piece of paper goes after it leaves their hand,” Kaasmann said.

A new educational recycling campaign is underway. It includes new stickers on all bins, educational posters and a team of County employees dubbed ‘Recycling Liaisons.’

These liaisons will work with all County employees and encourage them to do the right thing by recycling correctly.

Those visiting County buildings such as the Courthouse will also be able to take advantage of the ‘Single Stream’ recycling method. Bins located in break rooms, common areas and kitchens will contain recycling bins for the public. Bins in these areas were provided by a grant through the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) and ALCOA Aluminum. For more information on this program and other recycling inquiries, please contact the Montgomery County Recycling Hotline at (610) 278-3618.

Perkasie, Pennsylvania (based on an AP news release) — Although it is environmentally responsible to dry clothing by hanging it out on a line, many local municipalities and homeowner’s associations are attempting to ban the practice.

There are no laws in Perkasie against drying laundry outside; however, a town official called Carin Froehlich and ask her to stop drying clothes in the sun. She received two anonymous notes from neighbors saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.

“They said it made the place look like trailer trash. They said they didn’t want to look at my ‘unmentionables.’”

“If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry,” said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.

President Obama Signs Mississippi Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Mississippi and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes during the period of March 25-28, 2009.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes in the counties of Amite, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Simpson, Stone, Walthall, Wilkinson, and Wayne.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Donald L. Keldsen has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – South Carolina is in the midst of its worst wildfires in more than thirty years. The fire in Horry County has already burned over thirty square miles destroying at least 70 homes.

Oklahoma And Texas Fires

Western and central Oklahoma, as well as, Texas are experiencing severe wildfires. Paul Cunningham, the Sheriff of Montague County in North Texas said, “We’ve lost communities. Stoneburg is pretty much gone.”

Hundreds of homes and businesses have burned. Seventy mile-an-hour winds are fanning the fires. Just in Texas, more than 100,000 acres have been charred.

Unique solution opens new horizons in personal mobility

NEW YORK – General Motors Corp. and Segway today demonstrated a new type of vehicle that could change the way we move around in cities.

PUMA Concept Car (Credit GM)

Dubbed Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), GM and Segway are developing an electrically powered, two-seat prototype vehicle that has only two wheels. It could allow people to travel around cities more quickly, safely, quietly and cleanly – and at a lower total cost. The vehicle also enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking.

GM and Segway announced their collaboration, while demonstrating the Project P.U.M.A. prototype in New York City this morning.

“Project P.U.M.A. represents a unique solution to moving about and interacting in cities, where more than half of the world’s people live,” said Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development, and strategic planning. “Imagine small, nimble electric vehicles that know where other moving objects are and avoid running into them. Now, connect those vehicles in an Internet-like web and you can greatly enhance the ability of people to move through cities, find places to park and connect to their social and business networks.”

Trends indicate that urbanization is growing, and with that comes increased congestion and more competition for parking. Cities around the world are actively looking for solutions to alleviate congestion and pollution. Project P.U.M.A. addresses those concerns. It combines several technologies demonstrated by GM and Segway, including electric drive and batteries; dynamic stabilization (two-wheel balancing); all-electronic acceleration, steering and braking; vehicle-to-vehicle communications; and autonomous driving and parking. Those technologies integrate in Project P.U.M.A. to increase mobility freedom, while also enabling energy efficiency, zero emissions, enhanced safety, seamless connectivity and reduced congestion in cities.

“We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically different approach to urban mobility,” said Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway Inc. “There’s an emotional connection you get when using Segway products. The Project P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle embodies this through the combination of advanced technologies that Segway and GM bring to the table to complete the connection between the rider, environment, and others.”

Project P.U.M.A. vehicles will also allow designers to create new fashion trends for cars, and to focus on the passion and emotion that people express through their vehicles while creating solutions that anticipate the future needs of urban customers.

The Project P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle integrates a lithium-ion battery, digital smart energy management, two-wheel balancing, dual electric wheel motors, and a dockable user interface that allows off-board connectivity. The result is an advanced and functional concept that demonstrates the capabilities of technology that exists today.

Built to carry two or more passengers, it can travel at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph), with a range up to 35 miles (56 km) between recharges.

Since the introduction of the Segway Personal Transporter (PT), Segway has established itself as the leader in the small electric vehicle space. Its approach to congestion and environmental challenges is balanced with a strong understanding of the functional needs of its customers, enabling them to do more with less. Segway has delivered more than 60,000 lithium-ion batteries to the market.

GM has been a leader in “connected vehicle” technologies since it introduced OnStar in 1996. Today, this on-board communications package connects six million subscribers in North America to OnStar safety and security services. GM has also pioneered vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications systems and transponder technology. These and additional connected vehicle technologies could ultimately enable vehicles that don’t crash and drive themselves.

“Imagine moving about cities in a vehicle fashioned to your taste, that’s fun to drive and ride in, that safely takes you where you want to go, and “connects” you to friends and family, while using clean, renewable energy, producing zero vehicle tailpipe emissions, and without the stress of traffic jams,” said Burns. “And imagine doing this for one-fourth to one-third the cost of what you pay to own and operate today’s automobile. This is what Project P.U.M.A. is capable of delivering.”

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), one of the world’s largest automakers, was founded in 1908, and today manufactures cars and trucks in 34 countries. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 243,000 people in every major region of the world, and sells and services vehicles in some 140 countries. In 2008, GM sold 8.35 million cars and trucks globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

More About Segway And P.U.M.A.
About the Inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen