The second session addressed the Economics of Climate Change with Royal Gardner and Paul Boudreaux of Stetson and  Luisella Mazzone and Dr. Sharon Hanna-West both from USF.

Attendees from academic, government, non-profit organizations, students and the public engaged in discussion with the panels.

Thank you to our speakers, Stetson University, The Patel School of Global Sustainability, Professor Christian Wells, Dean Roy Gardner and Professor Paul Boudreaux.

[re]stitch TAMPA is an international ideas competition for urban public spaces and the waterfront located in downtown Tampa, Florida.
This competition is funded in part by the University of South Florida School of Architecture and Community Design and an Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, Tucker has pioneered satellite monitoring of vegetation, using more than 30 years of data to track climate change, provide early warning of famine, chart deforestation and the spread of tropical disease.

“His work, in many respects, has been as influential as the image of the Earth seen from the moon. It allowed us to see, for the first time, how the Earth’s vegetation reflects the seasonal pulse of the planet. Nobody else can claim these achievements,” Darrel Williams, Tucker’s supervisor and associate chief of Goddard, said.

Before Tucker’s discovery, vegetation was simply classified and tracked according to the type of plant life found in a particular area. Tucker helped create the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which uses a remote sensing system to monitor photosynthetic activity of plants and trees, to grasp the changing nature of ecosystems.

Satellite NDVI data is a key component of USAID’s Famine Early Warning System, monitoring agricultural productivity as a means to prevent famine.

NDVI helped scientists predict a major Rift Valley fever outbreak in East Africa, for instance, enabling preventative measures to be taken four weeks before the disease appeared. The United Nations has used satellite data to predict insect infestations in Africa, Arabia and Southwest Asia, providing early warnings to avoid the destruction of crops.

Tucker’s measurements also help scientists determine how much, carbon dioxide is consumed by plants.

“Understanding the consumption of carbon dioxide by plants has a global impact because it can provide data on the potential damage of global warming,” Robert Dickinson, a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said.

Initially, Tucker said scientists didn’t believe in the merits of his studies, but he did not let this sway his stamina. “I was interested in experimentation and was not nervous about changing techniques that didn’t work,” he said..

Earth scientists credit Tucker’s NDVI work for establishing a worldwide standard to measure not just the number of plants and trees in a particular area, but how well they perform. “His genius is in his ability to take data that was qualitative and make it quantitative,” Dickinson said.

“Dr. Tucker tirelessly maintained NDVI data for nearly 30 years. Every model of our ecosystem starts with Dr. Tucker’s NDVI,” Inez Fung, professor and co-director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment at the University of California, said.

Tucker’s 1985 breakthrough article in “Science” Magazine transformed the field of ecology by detailing how the NDVI could assess the vegetative state of a continent, such as Africa. A digitally- processed image showing the results made NDVI the cornerstone of global vegetation monitoring.

Tucker has penned more than 155 scientific papers that have been cited more than 12,000 times by other researchers. according to index measuring.

Tucker’s admiration and respect extends beyond his scientific peers. In addition to his work at NASA, he lectures at universities, such as the University of Maryland, Baltimore. “He is known around campus for being very kind and modest, yet funny,” said Fung. “Everyone loves him. He’s got the twinkle in his eye.”

The first Sustany Climate Conference in conjunction with Stetson Law School is scheduled for Friday, April 13th from 2:00pm to 5:30pm.  Robert Sanchez is the chair. There  will be volunteer opportunities.

Click here for full details!

The Green Artery www.greenartery.org  will be creating a network of trail systems for bicyclists and pedestrians.  This neighborhood-based effort is designed to identify, enhance, and safely connect Tampa’s valued green spaces that are located in and around Tampa’s urban core.

Going Green Tampa, a local online directory of sustainable businesses and activities can help connect people to eco-friendly businesses and events in and around Tampa.

1) Urban density. Filling in the spaces is the name of the game as homeowners and builders opt to create more living space through the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), laneway homes (bordering the back lane behind the main house), and build on infill lots. All this because the younger crowd and the empty nesters are opting to settle in the city where they can be closer to cultural activity, mass transit, more sustainable lifestyles, and other like-minded people.

2) Green multifamily homes. As a corollary to the urban density trend, Earth Advantage Institute has seen a large spike in Northwest multifamily building certifications this past year. The increased interest by building owners and operators in energy efficiency savings coupled with 2011’s 17% growth in multifamily homes (McGraw-Hill) means that we can expect to see a rise in certifications in this sector, especially in progressive regions.

3) Energy upgrades start to drive home remodels. Builders and remodelers who are plugged into changing consumer preferences (smaller homes, reduced energy bills) have been able to capitalize on energy upgrade work. They have moved into the energy audit and residential retrofit market by either expanding their service offerings or, in the case of large West Coast remodeler Neil Kelly, creating entirely new service groups. In the Northwest, demand has increased, leading to significant new energy improvement business for these firms. Remodelers see such work as a driver to help bring in more remodel leads.

Read Less

4) Deployment and testing of new materials. Although architects and builders are eager to try to new energy-saving materials and systems, these products require significant testing to ensure that the materials and benefits will last the life of the building and to avoid litigation. As a result, national labs and university research departments are partnering with builders to create test beds and sensor-filled buildings that log the energy performance of new materials and equipment. Portland State University’s mechanical engineering department recently partnered with a local builder to measure the effects of phase change material used as insulation in a duplex passive house, while Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories is constructing a test bed that will track all performance aspects of new materials and equipment.

5) Consumer friendly home energy tracking devices. The introduction of the Apple-like Nest Learning Thermostat, and Belkin’s Conserve Insight energy use monitor that tracks energy use by appliance, are two of many sensor-based energy and water monitoring products for the home that are easy to use and help save money. Large electronics players like Fujitsu and Intel are also developing products, among others.

6) Energy education for commercial tenants. The growing adoption of commercial building energy disclosure (New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, Austin) has building owners/operators and utilities seeking effective ways to educate tenants on saving energy. Technology can only go so far in conserving energy without tenant participation.

7) Transparency in home marketing. The increasing use of smart devices by consumers to instantly access information at a home site means that buyers are much more informed and can see through any greenwashing claims. Those builders, remodelers, and real estate professionals who can clearly educate their clients about the benefits and features of energy efficient, green homes will be those who earn the buyers’ confidence.

More accurate appraisals. The old-school appraisal criteria based on a drive-by look at a home – view, approximate square footage – no longer holds. The ability for sellers and buyers to ask their banks for a green-certified appraiser (Certified Residential Green Appraiser) means that the lending community will buy into the idea of the additional value and return on investment offered by new certified homes and remodels.

9) Broader adoption of residential energy ratings for homes. Energy labeling systems are appearing in many states, offering a miles-per-gallon style estimate of a home’s energy consumption for homebuyers and homeowners. The Energy Performance Score and the Department of Energy’s own Home Energy Score have been rolled out in different climate zones across the US to encourage homeowners to compare energy use and undertake energy upgrade work.

10) Smart grid-compatible high-performance homes. According to Smart Grid News, household appliances (heating and cooling systems, refrigerators, electronics, hair dryers) account for 60 to 90 percent of the residential electricity consumption in the U.S., depending on whose reports you read. Increasing numbers of those appliances are becoming “grid-aware” and are gaining the ability to monitor and report their own usage and to increase or decrease their electricity usage by remote command.

Thanks to Joe Romm for this!