Heartland Sierran – April 2015
Outings Leader Training drew Sierra Club members across state lines for leadership training
By Tom Tortorich
What does it take to become an outings leader with the Sierra Club?
That’s what the Outings Leadership Training (OLT) courses teach. THB Outings Chair Eileen McManus saw the need to offer an OLT 201 course locally, and entreated THB’s own local backpacking guru, Paul Gross, to teach it. Read more...
Downtown KC: Pollution Raises Asthma Rates
By Sara Campbell
March is asthma awareness month. 82,000 adults and 31,000 children in the Kansas City Metro Region are living with asthma and I am one of them.
I, my sister and both of our daughters have asthma which is aggravated by air pollution. As a disabled Army veteran, my severe asthma attacks affect the way I live my life but they also create a large expense for health system. My niece’s most recent flare-up forced her into an expensive trip to the emergency room. She was lethargic and her skin turned blue. She now needs to use a nebulizer to help her breathe and we must make choices about how often she can go outside and when. She is only 10 years old. Read more...
1000 New EV Charging Stations coming to KC
In January, KCP&L announced plans to build a large network of charging stations for electric vehicles in the region. This “Clean Charge Network” is slated for completion this summer, and will support more than 10,000 electric vehicles. The stations will be free for the first two years through partnerships with companies where stations are located, and able to charge any type of electric vehicle. Read more...
Beyond Coal: Making Progress in Independence
By Winston Apple
In May of 2014 petitions were signed by members and supporters of The Sierra Club in Independence, Missouri in support of renewable energy. Two months later, City Council member Scott Roberson introduced a resolution calling for the closure of one coal-fired power plant (Missouri City) and an end to “the use of coal as a fuel source at the Blue Valley Power Plant.” (Blue Valley will switch to natural gas by January of 2016.)
The resolution also authorized and directed the City Manager to develop and present to the City Council feasibility studies “to determine the practicality and economics of the use of renewable energy options such as solar, wind and geothermal at City-owned facilities.” These preliminary studies were due November 30th of last year. Read more...
LED Switch Could Save Resources, Lives
By Anne McGregor
I live in an 18-unit condominium with a lighted parking lot. This parking lot is lit by four, 260-watt wall-mounted metal halide light fixtures that run from dusk to dawn. These light fixtures are impractical and waste energy. Using more efficient light bulbs would not only save money for our building but save our planet’s resources. The vast majority of Missouri’s energy comes from burning coal, which has dangerous health and environmental side effects. Saving energy literally saves lives.
To replace the metal halide light fixtures with LEDs would cost about $900. This replacement would yield annual energy savings of $382. This means we would make our investment back in less than 3 years. Additionally, the LEDs will last a lot longer than the metal halides, saving replacement costs for years to come. Read more...