Earlier this year I wrote an environmental justice piece on the uranium disaster occurring on the Navajo reservation lands and other areas of the Four Corners.  I say "occurring", because even though this environmental disaster is largely a product of the Cold War it will continue to plague people of the South Western United States for many years to come.  There really isn't a cost effective, safe-n-sound method of disposing of or containing radioactive materials and waste.   Traces, if not troves of radioactive material will always be leeching into the groundwater and floating on the winds of the Southwest.

This week the EPA has committed $3 million a year to the demolition and reconstruction of radioactive buildings on the Navajo Nation lands.  This is really just a band aid being applied to one of many open sores that have been bleeding for a long time.  It is at least a step in the right direction; a small victory in an ongoing battle, and needed relief for the long neglected Navajo.  Monetary compensation won't exactly cure cancer, endocrine damage, and birth defects, but it helps.  Cleaning up over 500 buildings on Navajo lands is a start, but cleaning up radioactive mine tailings that leech into water supplies and float with the dust in the air is another part of the dirty picture. 

The bigger picture requires us to search for clean alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear energy.  Dirty carbon or dirty nuclear--either way the environmental burdens will be placed directly upon a disadvantaged group and then indirectly effect the rest of the planet.  Uranium mining is big business that will always be chomping at the bit to dig in.  As long as our nation believes that nuclear energy is a solution to our needs and global warming--as long as our nation believes we need nuclear weapons to defend our borders and threaten our enemies, the uranium disaster will always be "occurring."

- Cyrus

Fairfield, CA - A Northern California Anheuser-Busch brewery in Fairfield has recently installed a six acre solar panel array which is now generating about 3% of the brewery's power needs.  Anheuser-Busch also installed a Bio-Energy Recovery System which turns the nutrient rich wastewater from the brewing process into a renewable bio-fuel source which will produce about 15% of the brewery's fuel requirements.   Other sustainable projects implemented at the brewery include a steam recovery system to help heat their boilers which in turn reduces their greenhouse emissions.  Check out the source article of our information. 

This is a case of goliath following in david's eco-footsteps.  Anheuser-Busch made a bid to buy Sierra Nevada Brewery back in the late 1990's I believe.  Sierra Nevada thwarted the beer-goliath and continued on the righteous path of sustainability.  Check out Reggies' "Green For Beer" post for great information on Sierra Nevada's sustainability efforts.  Sierra Nevada has been ahead of the curve for some time now.  Goliath is clearly following David and this is the kind of business competition our nation needs.

Oroville, CA - The Central Valley Business Times has reported that Butte College is now the "largest solar powered campus in California."  This is awesome news for Northern California as we lead the way in sustainability with schools like Butte College   We are making an ethical choice to become sustainable and preserve existence of our earth.  Butte College's solar panel system now produces roughly 44% of the college's energy needs.  Butte College President, Diana Van der Ploeg has issued statements about three more solar projects planned for installation by 2015 that will turn Butte College into one of the first carbon neutral colleges. One of the next three solar projects is slated for completion this May.  That is some major Spring cleaning! (Photo courtesy of Butte College) Check out the original article at:  http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=11318

Make Biofuel From Your Home Using Leftover Beer (Triple Pundit) - Feb 06, 2009

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Inc - Triple Pundit
E-Fuel, the company that wants to catalyze the paradigm shift in society's energy consumption, has also recently partnered with Chico, Ca-based Sierra Nevada Brewing Co to produce ethanol from the waste produced from the brewing process. On average, Sierra Nevada produces 1.6 million gallons of unusable "bottom of the barrel" beer yeast waste. Instead of being directed to dairy feed, the system of E-Fuel microrefineries that will be in place in Q2 2009 will now power Sierra Nevada's entire fleet of delivery trucks as well as hundreds of cars in Central Valley.

http://pulse.alacra.com/analyst-comments/Sierra_Nevada_Brewing_Co_Inc-C3976281