Green Gazette
The Transportation Issue
What do hamburgers, pickup trucks, red Solo cups, unfettered capitalism, and Elvis Presley have in common?
Sure, you could say they’re all quintessential elements of American culture. But the answer I’m looking for is that they’ve all played a role in environmental degradation, climate change, and the unstoppable marching of time that is slowly guiding our earth to its inevitable death.
On the ground, revving your engine might be fun, but switching to an electric vehicle (EV) is even cooler. If every multi-car household in the U S transitioned to EVs, we could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 320 million metric tons annually. That’s equivalent to the energy used by 36 million households in a year (5)!
OK, maybe it’s not Elvis Presley’s fault. But the other four? They’re definitely on the hook
In this issue of The Green Gazette, we’re zeroing in on the leading source of carbon emissions in the U.S.: trains, planes, and automobiles. The transportation sector is the elephant in the greenhouse It’s one of the first things that comes to mind when we think about climate change contributors, and it’s an area where personal decisions can have a big impact on our global carbon footprint Take flying, for example New York Times journalist Andy Newman nailed the irony of tourists flying to see destinations before climate change destroys them while their flights accelerate that very destruction(3). Case in point: for every 2,500 miles flown, 23 square feet of Arctic ice melts(4) 1
1 Scientistsestimatethat5billionyearsfromnow,thesunwill begintodie,swellingtohundredsoftimesitsoriginalsize beforeengulfingEarthentirely Butdon’tletthatcosmic endgamegetyoudown Ifanything,knowingourtimehereis finiteshouldmotivateustopreservetheplanetforaslongas possible Sodon’tgoblowingyourcollegefundonaDucati StreetfighterV4Lamborghinimotorcyclejustyet We’vestill got5billionyearsleft let’smakethemcount Source: https://wwwnytimescom/2023/05/03/science/star-eatingplanethtml
2 IfyouhavenotseenthishilariousmoviewithJohn CandyandSteveMartin,stopreadingthisandgo watchitnow I’llwait 2
It’s important to recognize that not everyone has the resources to make this investment–and they aren’t to blame. The burden of solving climate change shouldn’t fall disproportionately on individuals, especially when systemic changes are long overdue This is why, as a community, we’re pushing Potomac to invest in an all-electric bus fleet a step toward reducing our collective carbon footprint and leading by example.
In this issue, you’ll find a compelling and candid interview with Mr Brian Newhouse, Potomac’s head of transportation, a student perspective on the strengths and opportunities for improvement in Potomac's transportation system, a trove of impactful climate facts, and even a crossword puzzle to test your ecoknowledge.
The climate movement sometimes feels like it’s stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic But progress is happening, even if it’s one step or one mile at a time.
Just keep truckin’ on.
--Arielle Kouyoumdjian, editor
3 https://wwwnytimescom/2019/06/03/travel/traveling-climatechangehtml
4 https://yaleclimateconnectionsorg/2019/09/a-brief-introduction-toclimate-change-and-transportation/
5 https://wwwepagov/greenvehicles/what-if-one-your-cars-was-electric
Driving Change: The Case for Electric Buses at Potomac
By Ben Muhlendorf, Managing Editor
As Potomac continues to prioritize sustainability in all possible endeavors, it is imperative that we turn our attention to all potential initiatives that will reduce our collective carbon footprint While it may seem daunting to replace Potomac’s enormous bus fleet with electric alternatives, there are many benefits that our school can reap should we consider this proposal
While Potomac does a good job using biodiesel in our fuel depot, the environmental toll is still rather heavy. More than any other form of transportation, school buses have to make multiple daily trips, stop often while idling, and carry heavy loads, all of which increase emissions. A great example of this process of switching buses comes from the Montgomery County school system, which found that more than half of its organizational emissions came from school buses. By 2035, they anticipate having an entirely electric bus fleet(1). Cost is certainly a valid concern, but as in their model, this can be a gradual change If we looked into each route, it would be easy to target the buses whose removal would give the highest marginal benefit.
Other externalities arise from this conversion that must be considered as well The idling is not only bad for the climate but has adverse effects on the school community, including hearing damage and increased rates of asthma(2). Given the choice, who wouldn’t want the bus parking lot's smoking lounge to stop clogging the air? Students from every division can attest to the feeling of wading through the dreadful 3:15 smog. Furthermore, while many of our buses are parked overnight off-campus, having charging stations installed around the grounds may provide benefits for everybody. Somewhat surprisingly, most EV cars use the same charging hardware as EV buses(3). Having open chargers might incentivize teachers and parents to invest in electric cars, knowing that they could fuel them up during school.
All in all, there are many advantages to switching over If Potomac intends to continue working towards a sustainable culture, the bus system is a great next step, and I hope that the upsides are apparent.
1 https://radio.wcmu.org/local-regional-news/2024-0823/electric-school-buses-shown-to-have-health-academicbenefits-for-children
3
https://www2 montgomerycountymd gov/mcgportalapps/Pr ess Detail aspx?Item ID=45176
2. https://crestlinebuses com/electric-bus-chargersunderstand-the-different-charginglevels/#:~:text=What%20charger%20do%20I%20need,differe nt%20from%20charging%20a%20car
The Road to Sustainability: Rethinking Our Bus
Fleet With Potomac’s Transportation Director, Mr. Brian Newhouse (Part I)
Interview by Arielle Kouyoumdjian Lightly edited for length and clarity
Potomac recently won the Private Fleet of The Year award. Could you tell me about what exactly that means for the school, and describe any particular initiatives or steps along the way that you ' re proud of?
The Washington area Clean Cities coalition is the organization that gave us the award. Interestingly enough, our propane supplier, Boston propane, nominated us. They assess what we ' ve done for a privately held fleet Right now, we operate 17, and soon to be 19, propane powered vehicles And for a privately held company, that's a pretty big deal. And for the school, that means we ' re walking the talk. We want to be a lot of things, and one of them is to be green and sustainable Historically, we purchased used vehicles on a secondary market, drove them, and maintained them until they reached the end of their service life. But as new regulations came into effect, the nature of diesel technology changed It went from standard diesel to diesel 2 0, which superheats itself and burns all the particulate matter off, reducing the amount of carbon that is being released into the atmosphere. The problem is, that process has a pretty serious impact on the bus itself While the superheating process is happening, the bus can only go 25 miles per hour. The filters also get clogged faster, so they were really expensive to maintain, clean, and replace Essentially, the environmental impact was not that great. I mean, the diesel 2.0 technology was better than a standard diesel, but still not great. So we decided to go with propane.
In terms of carbon footprint, it seems like propane might just be the lesser of two evils, because it's still a greenhouse gas that pollutes the atmosphere and contributes to climate change. Can you explain how switching to propane buses is a step forward for sustainability, as well as maintenance?
Well, a couple of things First, propane is significantly less harmful than any diesel or gasoline technology. The emissions from propane buses are mostly water and water vapor. There are a few other components released But the stuff that creates acid rain–the acidification of the atmosphere–smog, etc. are almost non-existent in a propane fuel bus. There is a new set of standards coming out in 2027 and our current fleet of propane buses already far exceeds what those federal standards are. And from a maintenance cost, it is significantly less Propane burns at a higher temperature, which is better for the motors, and there's not a lot of residue left behind in that process. So you ' re seeing good motor life, decreased emissions, and reduced maintenance costs
How many buses do we have in total?
A total of 45 buses Roughly five years ago we had a few choices about how we would proceed as a school to modernize our fleet. We could have continued with the status quo and bought used diesel buses, or we could explore alternatives At that time, there were not many alternatives, but the school went out and identified propane buses as a new, more efficient option. You know, we also tried biodiesel? But biodiesel is problematic on a number of levels, like performance and temperature From an emissions standpoint, from a performance standpoint, from a reliability standpoint, propane was better.
Electric vehicles are becoming more affordable and accessible. Can you talk about any logistical or financial obstacles that might be preventing Potomac from investing in electric buses sometime in the future? CONTINUED BELOW.
There are a lot of both, actually, but in 2022 we talked with a consultant to examine our current footprint, considering the number of vehicles that we have and the facilities we have available to us And they said at that time that for Potomac to invest in electric buses would be extremely difficult and wildly expensive And there's a couple of reasons why In the truck industry, you have these big players that have been around for a long time that sort of set the standard for the technology. But the heavy bus fleet market has not settled down yet. The other piece of it is the charging infrastructure That technology is still shifting and growing, taking leaps and bounds And so by the time you install something, it might already be on the back end of its useful life. New technology is fragile and it's really expensive And then the third piece of it is getting the power to the site itself That's where Potomac would have a challenge with infrastructure. Could we get enough electricity to the campus in order to plug in 30 buses at the same time? In a place like Virginia, where does electricity come from in the first place? Something like 70% of the electricity generated in the state of Virginia comes from natural gas. Natural gas is a byproduct product of oil extraction. So there’s a little bit of a trade-off there
What about implementing electric vehicle chargers, just on a smaller scale for individual cars? That would be interesting. You know, that's a conversation the school would have to have. And again, it carries some of those same concerns to a smaller degree. Would there be enough charges to address the needs, and how would you manage that? And again, it’s another cost Who's gonna pay for the electricity? Who's gonna pay to maintain that infrastructure? People say, “I have an electric car Provide me electricity ” That's a pretty big ask It’s another cultural, political piece of this electrification thing.
We have all these buses, yet all these people insist on driving. I need my car. I want my car. We're still very much a car-based culture A lot of people think that public transportation is yucky, it's gross, right? It’s wasteful, it's expensive. But once you see it in action, you realize what it does. And the people that make that choice and consciously do it, those are some of the best people on the planet Because they choose to inconvenience themselves in order to be more sustainable.
Can you talk about how the school supports students with longer commutes, especially those coming from DC or other areas that are farther away? How is Potomac working to make sure that sustainable transportation is accessible to all students, regardless of where they're coming from? That's happening right now. We're sending propane-powered vehicles to our most distant locations. The bus stop in Largo, Maryland is the furthest stop from the school It's about 37 miles one way We’re also using propane vehicles for West Alexandria, Potomac, Reston. And it does meet our goals. The fact that more than 50% of the buses that we operate on a daily basis are green technology makes it a much healthier environment for everybody that uses it
Look out for part II of this interview in the January issue of The Green Gazette!
Fun and Games
By Isabella Song
Coral reefs are nature’s thermometers! They lose their colors when the earth gets too warm.
CO₂ levels in the atmosphere are higher than they’ve been in over 800,000 years!
Only 5% of plastic is recycled
An EV (electric vehicle) can save around 2,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions compared to gas cars
The Earth receives enough energy from the sun in just one hour to power the world for a year - that's why solar power is so important!
A single mature tree absorbs about 48 pounds of CO₂ each year
Bamboo is incredibly eco-friendly!! It grows fast, absorbs CO₂, and produces 35% more oxygen than trees
The Amazon rainforest absorbs about 2 billion tons of CO₂ per year!
In the past 5 years, the Amazon has lost 24 million hectares to deforestation. That's the size of the United Kingdom.
Bees pollinate the crops that feed 90% of the world including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and coffee
Producing just 1 pound of beef requires 1,800 pounds of water!
A round-trip flight from New York to London emits as much CO₂ as many people produce in a whole year
Over 50% of the oxygen we breathe comes from oceanic plankton, which is another reason why ocean health is so crucial!
Over 50 million metric tons of electronic waste (scraps from phones, computers, etc ) are produced each year, with less than 20% of it recycled
A load of laundry containing synthetic clothes (like polyester and nylon) releases over 700,000 microplastic fibers each wash.
Across:
3 The past 10 consecutive years have been the decade in Earth's history
5 Wildlife has decreased by 68% in 50 years
8 Which country produces the highest carbon emissions?
9 We are losing 150 BILLION TONS of this each year
Down:
1 The most greenhouse gasses are produced per pound of this meat
2 What gasses trap heat within the Earth's atmosphere?
4 What type of reef have we lost by over 50% since the 1950s?
6 This layer protects us from the sun ' s rays
7 Trump pulled out of the Climate Agreement