7-18-08
Week #47: Living the Live Earth Pledge "Nobody likes the thudding sound of a power bill meeting your wallet," writes author
David de Rothschild in
The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Good news: freeing yourself from utility serfdom is getting easier and cheaper."
It's Essential Skill #47 in
The Handbook:
Install a windmill.
Of course, it's not just your pocketbook that will rejoice at your energy savings on
wind power. So will the earth. "If 100,000 households installed an ample-sized wind turbine, the annual CO2 reduction would be 900,000 tons."
If you're thinking about installing a windmill, here's what you need to know:
- The ideal average wind speed on your property should be at least 10 miles per hour, and the harder the wind blows, the more energy you'll save -- as much as a 50 percent more with just a couple of mph difference
- Cost of wind power has fallen 90 percent during the past two decades
- Your utility company may offer the option of supporting wind power through the main grid instead of installing your own, as you may still find it too costly for your own personal windmill installation
As great as wind power sounds, we couldn't help but worry about its impact on birds. We've heard before that blades from windmills are to blame for bird deaths. But de Rothschild sets our mind at ease there too. Turns out that of all the bird deaths caused by humans every year, only 1 in 10,000 are caused by windmills.
"Wind can't carry our whole load," writes de Rothschild, "but it could go a long way toward capping our carbon output."
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Al Gore Outlines Bold Plan for Carbon-Neutral U.S. in Washingon D.C. Speech
Within 10 years, Al Gore sees America using electricity from carbon-free sources only, especially geothermal, solar and wind power, as he explained during a special address July 17 in Washington D.C. He estimates the cost to be $3 trillion over 30 years time but points out that building conventional coal plants to fill the growing need would cost about the same. Click this link to read full story. Click this link to read his speech here. Or scroll down to our Live Earth Leader of the Week to read our abbreviated version of Al Gore's Speech.
2) G8 Nations Pledge to Halve Emissions By 2050
Even President Bush has finally agreed that cutting emissions 50 percent by 2050 is a good idea. Now he and the leaders of the other seven richest nations in the world need to iron out the details – sooner than later, say environmentalists. Though it’s a critical long-term goal, the G8 nations have made no short-term goals to get there. Click this link to read full story.
3) Bush Lifts Executive Ban on Offshore Drilling
President Bush has lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling, though nothing can change until the congressional ban is lifted as well. Click this link to read full story.
4) EPA Outlines Health Risks of Global Warming Despite Bush’s Objections
Though court-ordered to determine whether greenhouse gas emissions pose potential health risks to humans, the Bush Administration is reportedly trying to stall until a new president takes office under the guise of opening the subject to more public comment. But that didn’t stop the Environmental Protection Agency from releasing a report that directly addresses the health risks of global warming. “This document inescapably, unmistakably shows that global warming pollution not only threatens human health and welfare, but it is adversely impacting human health and welfare today," says the Environmental Defense Fund. "What this document demonstrates is that the imperative for action is now." Click this link to read full story here and here.
5) Half of U.S. Coral Reefs in Crisis: Marine Life Threatened
One quarter of marine species depend on coral reefs. So that’s a lot of deep sea creatures in big trouble upon news that nearly half of the coral reefs in U.S. waters are in poor or fair condition. Click this link to read full story.
6) New Images of Wilkins Ice Shelf Show Big Trouble
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic peninsula is “hanging by its last thread.” That’s based on analysis of recent photos. “Since the connection to [Charcot] island... helps stabilise the ice shelf,” says the ESA press release, “it is likely the breakup of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk.” Click this link to read full story.
7) Smog Levels Expected To Rise With Global Warming
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the hotter its gets from climate change, the more smog we’re going to see over U.S. cities. “These findings also indicate, that, where climate-change-induced increases in [smog] do occur, damaging effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and health will be especially pronounced, due to increases in the frequency of extreme pollution events,” says the EPA report. Click this link to read full story.
8) Green Party Nominates Their Candidate for President
Cynthia McKinney has officially been nominated as the U.S. Green Party’s candidate for president in the 2008 race. McKinney is not only a woman, but a black woman. This former Democrat previously served as a Congressional representative for Georgia. Click this link to read full story.
9) New York City and Alberta, Canada Spending Billions to Cut Emissions
In New York City, they’re spending $2.3 billion to cut emissions 30 percent by 2030. How? By fixing methane leaks at water plants and using that gas to run electric generation equipment, investing in fuel-efficient vehicles and installing eco-friendly street lights. As for Alberta, Canada, they’re setting aside $4 billion for carbon capture and storage programs and more public transport. Click this link to read full story here and here.
10) Fifty-Plus Port Authorities Meet to Cut Emissions
Representing 35 countries, more than 50 port authorities around the world met to discuss how they can work together to cut the CO2 emissions from 100,000 ships. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Al Gore
It was just a little over one year ago when Al Gore’s Live Earth Concerts inspired the creation of this website – to help raise awareness of global warming and what we can do to stop it.
Today Gore gave us another reason to thank him for his commitment to solving the climate crisis. He delivered a speech in Washington D.C. that outlines a bold plan for drastically cutting carbon emissions here in the United States.
You can read his speech in its entirety here, or the abbreviated version below ...
Al Gore: A Generational Challenge to Repower America (July 17, 2008 Speech in Washington D.C.)
Ladies and gentlemen:
“There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger….”
“I don't remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously. Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, gasoline prices are increasing dramatically, and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced. Home mortgages are in trouble. Banks, automobile companies and other institutions we depend upon are under growing pressure. Distinguished senior business leaders are telling us that this is just the beginning unless we find the courage to make some major changes quickly.
“The climate crisis, in particular, is getting a lot worse – much more quickly than predicted…. And by the way, our weather sure is getting strange, isn't it? There seem to be more tornadoes than in living memory, longer droughts, bigger downpours and record floods. Unprecedented fires are burning in California and elsewhere in the American West. Higher temperatures lead to drier vegetation that makes kindling for mega-fires of the kind that have been raging in Canada, Greece, Russia, China, South America, Australia and Africa. Scientists in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University tell us that for every one degree increase in temperature, lightning strikes will go up another 10 percent. And it is lightning, after all, that is principally responsible for igniting the conflagration in California today.
“I'm convinced that one reason we've seemed paralyzed in the face of these crises is our tendency to offer old solutions to each crisis separately - without taking the others into account. And these outdated proposals have not only been ineffective - they almost always make the other crises even worse.
“The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels.
“We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year. Tapping just a small portion of this solar energy could provide all of the electricity America uses.
“The quickest, cheapest and best way to start using all this renewable energy is in the production of electricity. In fact, we can start right now using solar power, wind power and geothermal power to make electricity for our homes and businesses.
“Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.
“To those who argue that we do not yet have the technology to accomplish these results with renewable energy: I ask them to come with me to meet the entrepreneurs who will drive this revolution. I've seen what they are doing and I have no doubt that we can meet this challenge.
“To those who say the costs are still too high: I ask them to consider whether the costs of oil and coal will ever stop increasing if we keep relying on quickly depleting energy sources to feed a rapidly growing demand all around the world. When demand for oil and coal increases, their price goes up. When demand for solar cells increases, the price often comes down.
“To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world's scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don't act in 10 years. The leading experts predict that we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution lest we lose our ability to ever recover from this environmental crisis. When the use of oil and coal goes up, pollution goes up. When the use of solar, wind and geothermal increases, pollution comes down.
“To those who say the challenge is not politically viable: I suggest they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo. Then bear witness to the people's appetite for change.
“If you want to know the truth about gasoline prices, here it is: the exploding demand for oil, especially in places like China, is overwhelming the rate of new discoveries by so much that oil prices are almost certain to continue upward over time no matter what the oil companies promise. And politicians cannot bring gasoline prices down in the short term.
“We are on the eve of a presidential election. We are in the midst of an international climate treaty process that will conclude its work before the end of the first year of the new president's term. It is a great error to say that the United States must wait for others to join us in this matter. In fact, we must move first, because that is the key to getting others to follow; and because moving first is in our own national interest.
“We must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our entire civilization depends upon us now embarking on a new journey of exploration and discovery. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey and to complete it within 10 years. Once again, we have an opportunity to take a giant leap for humankind."
Read the speech in its entirety here.
7-7-08
Happy Anniversary Live Earth!
It was one year ago today when we watched Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. On 7-7-07 ... on all 7 continents ... musicians all over the world brought millions of us together with one common goal -- to raise resources and awareness for the fight against global warming.
Click here to Re-Live the Concerts, including Top Moments from each of the shows.
7-5-08
Week #46: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Straw has been used in construction for thousands of years," writes author
David de Rothschild in
The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, "and bales were turned into buildings in the 1800s on the American Great Plains -- where there were no trees. The idea of building with straw was rediscovered by eco-conscious architects in the 1980s, and today's straw houses are not just drafty little houses on the prairie."
So what makes
straw-bale construction such an eco-friendly alternative to wood? Well, there' s the obvious reason of all the trees saved in the process. Then there's the fact that the straw that's used for home construction is "waste" straw that would normally be burned, emitting CO2 into the air. Finally, straw is a super-insulator -- keeping it cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter.
Of course, at first consideration there appears to be one serious drawback -- fire hazard. But as it turns out, straw is actually more fire-resistant than wood construction!
Here are the basics of straw home construction:
- Straw bales are used to fill in a wood frame
- The straw-stuffed walls are two-feet thick
- It's coated with stucco and plaster
- You get two to three times more energy efficiency than with traditional construction
"Combined with other green building tricks," writes de Rothschild, "(south-facing windows for 'passive solar' heating, efficient heating and cooling systems, and double-paned, low-e windows), your energy use can drop by two-thirds."
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Japan Hosting G8 Summit July 7-9
President Bush will be among seven other world leaders at the G8 Summit in Japan July 7-9. "I'll be reminding people that we can have better energy security and we can be better stewards of the environment without sacrificing economic growth," says Bush of the annual meeting among Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Though he favors the advancement of renewable technologies, Bush still opposes any mandatory targets. Click this link to read full story.
2) World Demand for Energy to Grow 50 Percent By 2030
According to a prediction by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the global demand for energy is going to grow 50 percent by 2030. Of note in its recent report is the fact that renewables are expected to grow 2 percent each year, though coal is expected to do the same. Click this link to read full story.
3) Auto Industry Won’t Stop California from Regulating Vehicle Emissions
Just in case a new administration were to grant a waiver to California allowing it to create its own emissions standards for vehicles – the waiver that the current administration refuses to grant – the auto industry filed a lawsuit of its own to make a future waiver impossible. But the judge ruled against it, stating of the auto industry’s lawsuit that “The interpretation requested is without support in law, logic, or grammar." Click this link to read full story here.
4) Judge Won’t Force EPA To Decide On Danger of CO2
Though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, the Court did not force EPA to act. In fact, it’s up to the EPA to decide if CO2 is dangerous to public health and, if so, how to regulate it. Unfortunately, they’ve done neither. Green groups sued for a decision, but the petition has been denied. But it turns out the EPA has been working on a document showing how the Clean Air Act could be used to regulate greenhouse gases. Problem is the White House is trying to block it, going so far as to ask for the deletion of references to greenhouse-gas emissions endangering public health. Click this link to read full story here and here.
5) Judge Issues Landmark Ruling on Coal Plant
A Georgia Superior Court judge has become the first in the nation to deny the construction of a coal plant based on the Supreme Court’s classification of carbon dioxide as pollutant. To move forward, the proposed coal plant must receive an air-pollution permit limiting its CO2 emissions. Click this link to read full story.
6) Bush Stops Solar Project Development on Public Land
In yet another attempt by the Bush Administration to sweep greener living under the rug, it’s issued a moratorium on any new solar projects being implemented on public land. Why? So they can study the large-scale environmental impact of solar projects. Meanwhile, the administration isn’t batting an eye at environmentally-unfriendly oil and gas development on public land, which continues to grow. Click this link to read full story.
7) Paris Announces Electric Car-Sharing Program
On the heels of its successful bike-sharing program, Paris is planning a similar strategy with 4,000 electric cars. “There will be a computerized system which allows you as soon as you collect the car to announce where you'll drop it off, so there will be a parking space available," says Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Click this link to read full story.
8) Americans Changing Home, Work Habits in Wake of Gas Prices Hikes
Five years ago the average suburban household spent $1,422 on gas. As of April of this year that figure more than doubled to $3,196 a year! With gas prices unlikely to go back down anytime soon (or ever), Americans are taking matters into their own hands. According to a survey of real estate agents showing houses to prospective homeowners, 78 percent say they’re moving back to the city because they can’t afford the gas. Meanwhile, city governments in Utah and New York are shortening the work week to just four days, with the idea catching on in California, West Virginia, Minnesota and Georgia. Click this link to read full story here and here.
9) Prime Minister Outlines Britain’s Renewable Energy Revolution
In an effort to increase renewable energy use tenfold by 2020, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans for his country’s “green revolution. Plans include:
* Investing $200 billion into renewable energy technology
* Building 7,000 new wind turbines
* Creating 260,000 new green-collar jobs
Click this link to read full story.
10) E.U. Airlines To Pay for Emissions
If the European Union Parliament gets its way, E.U. airlines will be required to pay for their emissions starting in 2012. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Wal-Mart
It's estimated that in the U.S., produce travels an average of 1,500 miles from the farm to the family who ultimately eats it. Wal-Mart is looking to change all that with both economic and environmental benefits.
Wal-Mart recently announced that it will significantly increase the amount of fruit and vegetables it purchases from local farmers.
Not only will this help support the local farmers, but also keep prices down for the customer and reduce the "food miles" that are a big contributor to greenhouse gase emissions from the ships, planes and vehicles used to ship it from long distances.
Over the past two years, Wal-Mart has increased its purchasing of produce from local farmers by 50 percent! So the progress yet to come with this formal announcement is sure to be significant.
Best of all, local produce in your local Wal-Mart store won't be hard to spot, as they're planning on adding clear "locally grown" signage.
Click this links to learn more about Wal-Mart's locally-grown produce program. "In a matter of just a few decades, millions of people will experience water shortages as a result of global warming," writes author
David de Rothschild in
The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Meanwhile, most of us take the water we do have for granted.
Just a regular 6-minute shower uses 24 gallons of water! And though a bath uses even more, at an average of 30 gallons per tub, it's still the smarter choice if you follow Essential Skill #45 in
The Handbook:
Take a bath together.
Instead of using 24 gallons each on a shower, you're using only 15 gallons each in the tub.
Of course, there are many other ways to conserve on water at home:
- If you're running water waiting for it to get hot, catch it in a bucket then use it to water your indoor and outdoor plants
- Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave
- Fill the sink with water for washing and rinsing the dishes instead of letting it run full-force the whole time
- Only run the dishwasher and washing machine when you have full loads
Click this link for Treehugger's ideas for water conservation.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) China Officially Surpasses U.S. as Top Caron Emitter
Though the U.S. still holds the record for the most carbon emissions per capita, China was the biggest emitter overall in 2007. That’s according to a new study from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency who shows that China’s emissions were 14 percent higher than the U.S. over the 12-month period. Click this link to read full story.
2) Top U.N. Official Notes Lack of Leadership By Industrial Nations
“We’re not at the moment seeing the leadership from industrialized countries which I think is essential,” says Yvo de Boer of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “But we are seeing a huge willingness on the part of developing countries to engage.” Click this link to read full story.
3) Senate Rejects Bills for Subsidizing Renewables and Revoking Oil Tax Breaks
Republicans in the Senate recently blocked two bills that would have gone a long way toward addressing the energy crisis in America. One of the bills would have eliminated tax breaks for oil companies, with the other extending tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal and other forms of clean energy. Click this link to read full story.
4) Four Federal Agencies To Develop “Environmental Indicators”
Though critics question why the U.S. government is investing money in gathering information already available rather than attacking the problem, four federal agencies are set to develop “environmental indicators,” such as a tracking system for the quality of our water. Click this link to read full story.
5) Gore Endorses Obama for President
During his formal endorsement of fellow Democrat Barack Obama, Al Gore called him “a candidate who, in response to those doubting our ability to solve the climate crisis and create a bright future, inspired millions to say, ‘Yes, we can.’” Obama responded, “When I am president, I will be counting on Al Gore to help me lead the fight for a clean energy future in the United States and around the world.” Click this link to read full story.
6) McCain Wants To Aggressively Pursue Nuclear Energy
If he gets into the White House, John McCain will push for 45 new nuclear reactors in the U.S. by 2050. Click this link to read full story.
7) Climate Change Responsible for Weather Extremes, Report Says
Don’t count on heat waves, intense rains, increased drought and stronger hurricanes ending any time soon. According to a report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, these extreme weather conditions are a direct result of the global warming that’s not going away any time soon. Click this link to read full story.
8) Climate Changing African Landscape
According to the new United Nations atlas, the African landscape is in trouble thanks to global warming. Lake Chad and Lake Victoria are shrinking every year, and it’s predicted that Mount Kilimanjaro may have no snow on it be 2020. Click this link to read full story.
9) San Francisco To Give Rebates for Solar Panels
If you live in San Francisco and install solar panels on your house, the city is going to give you a $6,000 rebate. Businesses get $10,000. That’s thanks to the city’s new municipal solar power program – the largest of its kind in the U.S. Click this link to read full story.
10) Tel Aviv University Announces New “Supercenter” for Renewable Energy
Al Gore opened the conference where Tel Aviv University announced its plans for a new “Supercenter” for renewable energy. According to Professor Abraham Kribus it “will be much more than a hatchery for new clean technologies…. It will be a multi-disciplinary powerhouse including all the non-technological aspects, such as economics, law and public policy, for making clean technology a reality in Israel and beyond.” Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Melissa Etheridge
Last year musician Melissa Etheridge won the Academy Award for her song “I Need To Wake Up” for Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. And by the looks of it, she’s still awake with the start of her three-month Revival Tour last week. She and the band are traveling the country, show-to-show, in three bio-fueled tour buses. And the show features organic stage setting with LED lights – an eco-edge in the rock and roll world today.
Organically comfortable in her own way of living, Melissa Etheridge is leading an eco-friendly example by changing the items in her merchandise store to organic cotton T-shirts, recycled bottle cap hats, canvas bags and a green tips page educating her fans to become AWAKE. We also have heard all the rave about the Melissa Etheridge Eco-Friendly Street Team which is an unofficial but all-natural site with loads of green tips and earthly style.
Way to stay green Melissa Etheridge!
Click this link to learn more about Melissa Etheridge and check out her eco-friendly merchandise. And click this link to get involved with the Melissa Etheridge Eco-Friendly Street Team.
6-11-08 The hotter it gets from climate change, the more hospitable it is for mosquitoes. They're more than just annoying though, leaving you with itchy skin -- they carry diseases like West Nile virus. Your best defense? Bats. Thus Essential Skill # 44 in
The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook:Build a bat house.
"Our maligned friends like nothing more than to swoop down and enjoy a disease-vectory snack," writes
Handbook author
David de Rothschild. "
Little brown and
big brown bats, the most common in North America, can catch up to 1,200 insects an hour."
If building a bat house to invite bats to your neighborhood sounds a little extreme, consider this: you probably already have them. "Except for in polar regions," writes de Rothschild, "they live almost everywhere."
You can
buy a bat house or
build one yourself. Just remember to
install it 15 feet off the ground at least 100 yards away from the house. So if you live in a neighborhood where the houses are less than 100 yards apart, hold off until you get that second home out of the city.
Click this link to
learn more about housing bats in your backyard.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories1) White House Gives In: Global Warming Human-CausedUnable to dispute the facts any longer, the Bush Administration has finally admitted “most of the recent global warming is very likely due to human-generated increases in greenhouse-gas concentrations.” Click this link to
read full story.
2) Investigation Proves NASA Distorted Climate Change ScienceBetween 2004 and 2006, NASA’s press agency “managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced, marginalized, or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public,” says a new report by the organization’s current inspector general. Click this link to
read full story.
3) Senate Rejects Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act: McCain & Obama Noticeably AbsentBoth stress their commitment to aggressive action against climate change, yet neither John McCain nor Barack Obama was present in the Senate on the day they voted on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Yet even with their yes votes, the bill still would not have passed. Senator Joe Lieberman remains hopeful, though: "It may be a small step for mankind, but it's a giant step for the United States Senate. It puts us on the path to getting this done hopefully next year." Click this link to
read full story.
4) China Pursuing Controversial Coal-to-Liquid TechnologyWith oil prices going through the roof, China is taking matters into its own hands. Unfortunately, their hands are going to get very dirty turning coal into oil – a process that emits huge amounts of carbon and uses up a great deal of water. Click this link to
read full story.
5) 13 Nations Urge G8 Action on Climate Change
“We urge G8+5 leaders to make maximum efforts to carry this forward and commit to these emission reductions,” reads a joint statement to the G8 members from the science academies of 13 nations. “Progress in reducing global greenhouse-gas emission has been slow.... Key vulnerabilities include water resources, food supply, health, coastal settlements, and some ecosystems, particularly Arctic, tundra, alpine, and coral reef.” In a recent joint statement, these G8 nations promised greater investment in energy efficiency and green technologies, while at the same time urging oil companies to increase oil output in the wake of skyrocketing gas prices. The G8 nations are meeting at the G8 summit in Japan next month.Click this link to
read full story.
6) Americans Overwhelming Public Transit System
With gas prices more than four dollars a gallon, more and more Americans are choosing public transport over their own cars. Unfortunately, it’s more than the U.S. public transit system can handle. Click this link to
read full story.
7) Cost of Halving Emissions By 2050: $45 Trillion
According to a new report by the International Energy Agency, the technology necessary to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 would require an investment of $45 trillion. Click this link to
read full story.
8) House Designates $20 Billion for Greener SchoolsThough Bush says he’ll veto the bill, the House is certainly moving in the right direction for our kids. If passed, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act would set aside $20 billion for the greening of American schools. Click this link to
read full story.
9) Obama Criticizes McCain’s Energy Policy
Obama criticizes McCain for wanting to give ExxonMobil a $1.2 billion tax break while gas is more than $4 a gallon. He also calls the “gas-tax holiday” that McCain supports a gimmick. Click this link to
read full story.
10) Near-Waterless Washing Machine Coming to the UKYou don’t need water to wash your clothes anymore, at least not according to the manufacturers of a new washing machine in the UK. Using just one cup of water per load, it’s special plastic chips that will remove dirt from clothes. Click this link to
read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the WeekJoe LiebermanNearly 20 years ago, it was Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut who co-sponsored the 1990 Clean Air Act to reduce smog and air pollution. And today his fight for aggressive environmental protection legislation continues, most recently in the form of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act – its purpose to create a cap-and-trade system on U.S. emissions. Though it failed to pass the Senate, it was step in the right direction.
Lieberman’s environmental record also includes:
* Voting yes on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
* Voting yes on reducing oil usage 40 percent by 2025
* Pushing for a fuel efficiency standard of 40 mpg
Click this link to
learn more about Joe Lieberman, the politician/environmentalist.
5-31-08
Week #43: Living the Live Earth Pledge "Paper can only be recycled three to five times before its fibers break down," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Each trip to the pulper only delays its ultimate date with a landfill."
So de Rothschild suggests Essential Skill #43 in The Handbook:
Reuse the news.
Of course, this Essential Skill need not apply to those of you who get your news exclusively through electronic media (i.e., the Internet, TV, radio, etc.). You're already way ahead of the curve. Problem is, old habits die hard and there's just something people cannot resist about the feel of holding the news in their hands, turning the pages, clipping the stories. Not long ago, The Watch Team was among them, though we're exclusively electronic-news now. (Though our paper newspaper-neighbors sometimes share theirs with us.)
If you do still get the daily newspaper, here's some of de Rothschild's creative recycling ideas. Use newspaper to:
- Protect fragile items in shipping boxes
- Make paper mache artwork
- Stuff it in your shoes to keep their shape
- Pick up after your dog
- Wrap presents
Click this link for paper mache directions and projects.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) European Union To Criminalize Green Violations
If a green violation causes “substantial damage,” death or serious injury, it’s going to be a crime in the European Union. Among the punishable crimes are emission of substances that cause harm, shipment of waste, destruction of protected fauna or floral species, deterioration of habitats within protected sites, and the manufacturing of products that cause ozone depletion. Click this link to read full story.
2) Doing Nothing About Climate Change To Cost U.S. $3.8 Trillion
Hurricane damage. Real estate losses. Higher energy and water costs. It all adds up to $3.8 trillion a year for the United States if it fails to take effective action against global warming. Click this link to read full story.
3) Residents of 100 Largest Metro Areas Emit Less Carbon Than National Average
According to a new study, city-dwellers are more eco-friendly than the average American – 2.47 tons per person, per year compared to the average 2.87. Click this link to read full story.
4) New Report Reveals Devastating Climate Change Predictions for U.S. West
Increased drought, heat, wildfires, rainstorms, floods, water pollution, erosion, and insect infestation. Extinction of desert plants. Invasive non-native plant species. Salmon die-offs. That’s what the U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting for the Western United States if climate change is not dealt with effectively. Click this link to read full story.
5) Climate Change Limiting Vegetation for Herbivores in Highly Seasonal Environments
“Moving through space – across the landscape – is a strategy used by these animals to deal with shifts in the time their forage plants are available,” says the author of a new study on the impact of climate change on herbivores living in highly seasonal environments. Problem is, climate change is dramatically limiting that availability. When one source of food is gone, there’s no moving to another source as an alternative – it’s gone too. Click this link to read full story.
6) Queen Elizabeth Investing in World’s Largest Wind Turbine
Britain wants to build more off-shore wind farms, but they’re short on turbine supplies. To help fill the need, Queen Elizabeth is investing in a wind turbine of her own, which will be the largest wind turbine in the world. Click this link to read full story.
7) Italy To Reverse Ban On Nuclear Power
“Only nuclear plants safely produce energy on a vast scale with competitive costs, respecting the environment,” says Italy’s minister of economic development. This renewed interest in nuclear power comes two decades after its ban. Click this link to read full story.
8) Bay Area To Charge Fees for Emissions
In the first of its kind legislation in the US, the Bay Area will start assessing fees on those businesses that emit the most carbon dioxide. Click this link to read full story.
9) U.K. Considering Personal Carbon-Trading System
If a committee of Members of Parliament gets its way, individual in the U.K. will only be allowed to emit a certain amount of carbon. Anyone who goes over would have to buy credits from those who do not exceed the limit. Click this link to read full story.
10) Shark Tails Inspire New Oceanic Power Generation System
When it comes to harnessing water power, “I realized the systems that function the best are the ones that already exist there,” says Professor of Ocean Engineering Tim Finnigan. He designed the new BioStream device – shaped like a shark fin and anchored to the ocean floor, powering a generator every time a current pulls or pushes on the fin. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Queen Elizabeth
As you may have read in the news stories above, Queen Elizabeth is investing in the world’s largest wind turbine. And though actions typically speak louder than words, in the Queen’s case, they’re equally significant. Note this excerpt from annual Commonwealth Day message she delivered a couple of months ago:
“The impact of pollution falls unequally: it is often those who pollute the least—notably in the world's least-developed nations—who are closest to the razor's edge: most affected by the impact of climate change and least equipped to cope with it.
"And it is important to remember that the environmental choices available in some countries may not be an option for others. In some parts of the world, for example, fossil fuels can be used more sparingly and buildings can be made of more efficient, sustainable materials; but it is far harder to expect someone to adapt if he or she relies on the trees of a local forest for fuel, shelter and livelihood. If we recognise the interests and needs of the people who are most affected, we can work with them to bring about lasting change.
"Happily, this approach has always been a strength of the Commonwealth, and awareness of environmental issues is now widespread, with a determination that future generations should enjoy clean air, sufficient fresh water and energy without risking damage to the planet."
Click this link to read more green excerts from the Queen's speech.
5-20-08
Week #42: Living the Live Earth Pledge "The average commuter burns 340 gallons a year, creating a 3.4-ton cloud of CO2," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Ride with one extra passenger and you've cut that figure in half. Find one more and you've cut it by two-thirds."
So Essential Skill #42 is all-too obvious:
Share the driving.
Here in Phoenix, most of our freeways have HOV lanes just for carpoolers. If you don't qualify with at least two passengers in the car during specified times during the week, you're subject to getting pulled over. A couple of years ago, a woman argued she was justified, as she was pregnant. Apparently, it doesn't work that way. I'm pretty sure she had a fine to pay.
Getting to be in the carpool lane is such a treat here because so few people actually do it. If you're among them, you're zipping by at two or three times the speed of those unfortunate solo drivers in the other lanes.
Now I know that Phoenix is probably pretty average in terms of carpooling ratio, as 10 percent of Americans do so. That seems about right -- 1 vehicle in the carpool lane for every 10 in the others.
Though saving time getting where you're going is an important incentive for carpooling, it's certainly not the only one. "If one million people carpooled," writes de Rothshild, "1.7 million tons of CO2 would be eliminated per year."
And here's something we didn't know -- " 'Poolers can qualify for discounts of up to 20 percent on insurance ... and your employer may offer sweet incentives like free parking, shortened workdays, salary bonuses and ever cash rewards."
If you don't know anyone heading in your direction, check out CarpoolConnect.com to search for and find someone who is.
Live Earth News Watch
1) Antarctic Study Shows Greenhouse Gases Highest in 800,000 Years
“We can firmly say that today’s concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane are 28 and 124 percent higher respectively than at any time during the last 800,000 years,” says the author of the report. That’s based on drilling down 10,500 feet below the surface of Antarctica to analyze greenhouse gases trapped all those years ago. Click this link to read full story.
2) NASA Confirms: Human-Caused Global Warming is Real
“This is the first study to link global temperature data sets, climate model results, and observed changes in a broad range of physical and biological systems to show the link between humans, climate and impacts,” says the lead author of the NASA study. Click this link to read full story.
3) WWF Report Links Environmental Protection to Natural Disasters
“It is deforestation and floodplain development that most often links high rainfall to devastating floods and mudslides,” says one WWF representative. “Extreme coastal events cause much more loss of life and damage when reefs are damaged, mangroves are removed, dune systems are developed and coastal forests are cleared.” Click this link to read full story.
4) Majority of Wildlife Changes Linked to Global Warming
According to a new study published in the journal Nature, 90 percent of changes in the behavior and population of wildlife is linked to climate change. That’s based on research of 28,000 plant and animal systems. Click this link to read full story.
5) Watch the Earth Warm Up Before Your Eyes
Thanks to new online technology, you can use an interactive map to watch possible scenarios for climate change over the next 100 years. Click this link to read full story.
6) American Emissions On the Rise
In 2007, the U.S. emitted 1.6 percent more carbon dioxide than the year before. Click this link to read full story.
7) Wind Could Provide 20 Percent U.S. Energy By 2030
Though it only provides 1 percent of our energy now, the U.S. Department of Energy says it is possible that wind power could meet one-fifty of our electricity needs in a little over 20 years. Meeting that goal would require the construction of 75,000 wind turbines. Click this link to read full story.
8) Airline Saves Money & Emissions By Flying Slower
Since slowing down in 2006, Scandinavian airline SAS has saved $12 million on the cost of fuel and, in turn, a heck of a lot of carbon emissions. Best of all, the slowdown only adds minutes to your travel time. Click this link to read full story.
9) U. of Washington Announces Environmental College
Combining its schools of forestry, fishery sciences, atmospheric sciences, earth and space sciences, marine affairs and oceanography into one, the University of Washington will create the College of the Environment. Click this link to read full story.
10) 1 Million People Now Drive the Toyota Prius
We knew this hybrid car was popular, but it’s reached a new milestone – one million sales of the Toyota Prius. The majority of sales for the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car have been here in North America. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Scandinavian Airlines System
As you may have read in the news above, the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has saved $12 million in the cost of fuel (and its emissions) since it started slowing down its flights in 2006.
SAS is a multi-national airline for Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Founded in 1946, SAS was also one of the first airlines to offer its passengers the option of purchasing carbon offsets when they buy a ticket.
Click this link to learn more about Scandinavia’s green-geared airline, SAS.
5-14-08
Week #41: Living the Live Earth Pledge "Not every profit dollar has to come at the environment's expense," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "It is possible to do well by doing good. If you know where to invest, you can save the planet while saving up your nest egg."
It's Essential Skill #41 in the Handbook: Invest wisely.
De Rothschild suggests SocialFunds.com as a great place to start. They not only have investment news, but also two 20-page how-to guides that they'll email to you for free. Click these links to get your free copies of the Community Investment Guide and Mutual Funds Guide.
"By investing wisely," writes de Rothschild, "you will help support companies that are working to solve global warming.
"Turn those green values into greenbacks."
For more info, check out The Motley Food Goes Green and Green Money Journal.
Live Earth News Watch
1) McCain Delivers Climate Change Speech
Nuclear power. A cap-and-trade system. Independence from foreign oil. Diplomacy with China and India. That’s how Senator John McCain wants to approach the issue of climate change in the US, and around the world. Click this link to read McCain's speech on climate change in its entirety.
2) Obama Says US Focus On War Distracted From “Sound Energy Policy”
“I think the way we have run this war in Iraq,” Senator Barack Obama told CNN’S Wolf Blitzer, “led us to ignore the critical needs for us to focus on a sound energy policy in this country…. It has left us unable to lead on critical global issues like global warming.” Click this link to read full story.
3) National Geographic Survey Ranks Countries On Their Greenery
Based on housing, transportation, food, and consumer goods, the National Geographic Society’s survey of 14 countries reveals that Brazil and India tie for most eco-friendly, and the United States sits at the bottom of the list. The 14 countries included in the survey represent more than half of the world’s population, and three-quarters of its energy use. Here’s the complete list:
1) Brazil and India (tied for 1st)
2) China
3) Mexico
4) Hungary
5) Russia
6) Great Britain, Germany and Australia (tied for 6th)
7) Spain
8) Japan
9) France
10) Canada
11) United States
Click this link to read full story.
4) Arctic Ice Shrinking to Smallest Size Since 1978
Based on findings by Japanese scientists, Arctic Ice could shrink this summer to its smallest size since 1978. Click this link to read full story.
5) Connecticut Passes Tough Emissions Legislation
If Governor Jodi Rell signs off on it, as she is expected to do, a new law in Connecticut will require the state to reduce emissions 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050. Click this link to read full story.
6) Sierra Club Suing To Stop New Coal Plants
Citing a federal appeals court ruling that says mercury regulations for coal plants are too lax, the Sierra Club is suing to stop the construction of new coal plants in seven states. Click this link to read full story.
7) Canada Faces Investigation of Kyoto Rules Violations
Every member of the Kyoto Protocol is required to meet specific deadlines for registering the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Turns out Canada may not have been in compliance. If found “guilty,” its Kyoto carbon trading privileges could be suspended. Click this link to read full story.
8) New Hawaii Law Requires Solar Water Heaters
By 2010, every water heater installed in a Hawaiian home must run on solar energy. That’s based on a new law that is the first of its kind in the US. Click this link to read full story.
9) Non-Profit Climate Counts Ranks Big Biz Green Practices
When it comes to going green, Nike, Stonyfield Farm and IBM rank at the top of the list, and Google gets the prize for most improved. That’s according to Climate Count’s second annual ranking of how well big business is responding to the need for eco-friendlier practices. Click this link to read full story.
10) Chinese Official Says Olympics Emissions Will Be Offset
Technology Minister Wan Gang says this summer’s Olympics in Beijing will generate an estimated 1.18 million tons of carbon emissions. To offset them, Gang says they’ll take steps “like planting of trees and controlling the use of vehicles, to reduce emissions by between 1 million and 1.29 million tones.” Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
National Geographic
As you may have read in the top 10 stories above, National Geographic recently surveyed consumers in 14 countries that represent half of the world’s population, and three-quarters of its energy use to determine who ranks where in terms of eco-friendliness.
For all our green talk, the United States is at the bottom of the list. Meanwhile, China is up at the top, second only to Brazil and India, which tied for first.
Projects like this eye-opening survey are just one of many ways that National Geographic has been inspiring people to care about the planet for 120 years.
“Since 1888, we've traveled the Earth, sharing its amazing stories with each new generation,” states National Geographic’s website. “[Our] Mission Programs support critical expeditions and scientific fieldwork, encourage geography education for students, promote natural and cultural conservation, and inspire audiences through new media, vibrant exhibitions, and live events.”
Click this link to learn more and get involved in the work of National Geographic.
5-3-08
Week #40: Living the Live Earth Pledge "Green doesn't mean antibusiness," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "It means the planet needs new solutions."
You can be part of these new solutions with Essential Skill #40 in the Handbook:
Retrofit your career.
"Whether you start a company or join one, now is the time to get in on the ground floor of the green boom." Though the possibilities are plentiful, here's CareerBuilder's picks for the "Top 25 Green Gigs":
1) Hydrologist
2) Environmental Engineer
3) Pest Control Technician
4) Conservation Biologist
5) Science Teacher
6) Toxicologist
7) Pollution Control Technician
8) Fund-raising Director
9) Ecologist
10) Camp Counselor
11) Business Manager
12) Economist
13) Forester
14) Environmental Attorney
15) Community Affairs Manager
16) Environmental Health and Safety Technician
17) Landscape Architect
18) Waste Disposal Manager
19) Environmental Chemist
20) Corporate Waste Compliance Coordinator
21) Urban and Regional Planner
22) Agricultural Inspector
23) Wastewater Water Operator
24) Wildlife Biologist
25) Pollution Control Engineer
Click this link to find associated salaries and job openings for the "Top 25 Green Gigs" listed above.
Of course, if you're already in a career that you love, simply find creative ways of incorporating more eco-friendly choices, practices and policies.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Live Earth To Rock the Vote in 2008
Since the presidential candidates, debate moderators and media have not given climate change the significant attention it needs and deserves thus far in the election process, Live Earth plans to push the issue this fall. On October 5, Live Earth will hold simultaneous concerts on college campuses all across America to “Rock the Green Vote.” We’ll post it here when participating colleges and performers are announced. Click this link to read full story.
2) Al’s Gore’s Company To Invest $638 Million Into Green Projects
Climate Solutions Fund, chaired by Al Gore, has raised $638 million dollars to invest in 1) renewable energy, 2) energy efficient technologies, 3) energy for biofuels and biomass and 4) carbon trading markets. And that’s just the beginning. Click this link to read full story.
3) New Study Says Oceans are Going to Cool the Planet, But Won’t Stop Global Warming
According to a new study published in the journal Nature, natural shifts in ocean circulation could actually make the planet cooler over the next 10 years. Suspecting that climate change skeptics and policymakers may spin this however they please, the study’s researcher says this: “Just to make things clear, we are not stating that anthropogenic climate change won’t be as bad as previously thought,” his concerns being that “policymakers may either think mitigation is working or that there is no global warming at all.” Click this link to read full story.
4) Once Again, Scientists Predict Record-Low Arctic Sea Ice This Year
“The current Arctic ice cover is thinner and younger than at any previous time in our recorded history, says climate researcher Sheldon Drobot, “and this sets the stage for rapid melt and a new record low” – more bad news for the polar bear and other Arctic wildlife. Click this link to read full story.
5) Oxygen-Deprived Oceans May Be Another Casualty of Global Warming
Sea life depends on oxygen in the water to keep them alive. Unfortunately, the warmer it gets, the harder it is for oxygen to absorb into water. “Reduced oxygen levels may have dramatic consequences for ecosystems and coastal economies,” say the scientists who published this research in the journal Science. Click this link to read full story.
6) UNICEF Report Says Poor Children Suffering Most from Climate Change
“It is clear that a failure to address climate change is a failure to protect children,” says UNICEF’s UK director. “Those who have contributed least to climate change – the world’s poorest children – are suffering the most.” Hunger and deadly diseases are among their concerns. Click this link to read full story.
7) States Not Giving Up On Regulating Their Own Vehicle Emissions
The federal government recently proposed new fuel efficiency standards that would override anything established by California to more aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The governors of 11 states responded with letters of protest to President Bush, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Click this link to read full story.
8) “Small Wind” Could Provide Enough Energy to Power Your Home
If you thought wind power was only available in those mammoth-size turbines that electric companies use, think again. People just like you are installing “small wind” turbines on their residential and business property to power just one home or building.
9) Environmental Defense Fund Partners With Private Equity Firm
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a private equity firm, wants all of its U.S. companies to be as eco-friendly as possible. So they’ve partnered up with the Environmental Defense Fund to help them address energy efficiency, greenhouse-gas emissions, water consumption and toxic waste. Click this link to read full story.
10) Kansas Legislature Fails To Override Governor’s Veto of New Coal-Fired Power Plants
State legislators had hoped to have enough votes to override the Kansas Governor’s veto of two new coal-fired power plants. Four votes short, that didn’t happen. Kansas was the first state to reject new coal-fired power plants based on carbon dioxide emissions. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Environmental Defense Fund, finding the ways that work
As you may have read in this week’s news posted above, the Environmental Defense Fund is partnering with a huge private equity firm to help “green” all of their companies in the US. Their other corporate partnerships include FedEx, DuPont and McDonald’s.
Yet forging partnerships with corporate America is just of many things the Environmental Defense Fund is doing to help save the planet, including its dedication to influencing laws and policies – its number one focus when it comes to global warming.
"Our top priority is to pass national legislation that caps global warming pollution and creates a flexible emissions trading market,” says the organization’s director of its national climate campaign. “That will open the door to a green technology revolution."
The Environmental Defense Fund is a non-profit organization founded by a group of scientists 40 years ago. Click this link to learn more.
4-25-08
Week #39: Living the Live Earth Pledge Everywhere you turn these days, it seems we're being asked to help plant trees to offset our carbon footprint. Yet, according to author David de Rothschild, it's more complicated than that. It's Essential Skill #39 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook:
Plant a tree (mindfully).
"In temperate parts of the globe, such as the U.S. and Europe, one result climatologists fear is that all those trees you plant will absorb and retain heat from the Sun," writes de Rothschild, "contributing to a rise in the temperature of the Earth's surface of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100 in those regions."
Instead, it's best to sponsor the planting of trees in tropical areas.
"Tropical forests filter pollutants quickly and, with their deep roots, draw up water that evaporates into the atmosphere, helping to foster protective cloud cover that reflects sunlight back into space."
Critics of the tree planting solution point to the fact that when a tree dies -- and decomposes naturally or is burned as firewood -- the tree releases back into the atmosphere all the carbon dioxide sequestered throughout its life time.
That's why de Rothschild stresses the importance of caring for the trees we plant. And when a tree does die, it should be salvaged for lumber or disposed of in a landfill (as opposed to mulching or burning).
Click this link to learn more from the Tropical Rainforest Coalition.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Go Veg to Fight Climate Change Says Paul McCartney
Did you know the livestock industry generates more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation? “It’s very surprising,” says vegetarian Paul McCartney, “that most major environmental organizations are leaving the option of going vegetarian off their lists of top ways to curtail global warming.” Click this link to learn how to live a healthy
vegetarian lifestyle. Click this link to read full story.
2) U.S. Government Interfered with Science, EPA Scientists Say
According to 1,580 EPA scientists who participated in a survey conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, 800 of them had their work interfered with in the past five years – primarily those whose job it was to write regulations and conduct risk assessments. Click this link to read full story.
3) Feds Outline Plan for Reaching 35 MPG by 2020
Increased fuel efficiency to 35 mpg won’t happen overnight. To ease our way into it, federal regulators have suggested the following timelines – 27.8 mpg by 2011 and 31.6 mpg by 2015. Unfortunately, the proposal also says that any state’s attempt to regulate its own vehicle emissions to be even more fuel-efficient will be overridden by federal rules. Click this link to read full story.
4) 18 State Leaders To Approach Presidential Candidates on Issue of Climate Change
It’s clear that the Bush administration will accomplish nothing substantial regarding global warming. So concerned state leaders are looking ahead – going straight to the presidential candidates in hopes of helping them shape U.S. policy on climate change. States involved include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. Click this link to read full story.
5) L.A. Passes New Green Building Laws
If you’re building a residence or commercial building in Los Angeles that’s more than 50,000 square feet, you must now ensure that it meets all requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council. Click this link to read full story.
6) U.S. Set To Welcome All-Electric Car In 2009
Think City is a battery-operated car that runs solely on electricity. It’ll cost less than $25,000, and one charge will take you 110 miles. Click this link to read full story.
7) EU Meeting With China Regarding Climate Change
Committed to setting its own limits on greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union questions the impact if China doesn’t do the same, as China is now widely regarded as the world’s biggest emitter of carbon emissions. Determined to talk China into setting limits itself, EU reps headed over there for talks this week. Click this link to read full story.
8) EU Planning 50 New Coal-Fired Power Plants
As much as they say they’re committed to fighting climate change, the European Union is apparently okaying the building of 50 new coal-fired power plants within the next 5 years. Click this link to read full story.
9) Hydroelectric Dam Proposed for Congo River
Banks and construction companies are in talks to build an $80 billion hydroelectric dam on the Congo River to generate electricity. Unfortunately, it’s believed most of this electricity will be diverted into urban areas instead of poor areas where it’s needed most. Click this link to read full story.
10) Pope Gives Green Spin to His United Nations Address
“The protection of the environment, of resources, and of the climate,” are among the world’s most pressing problems said Pope Benedict XVI to the United Nations – problems that “require from the international community that it act on a common basis.” Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Tropical Rainforest Coalition
We lose a part of the rainforest that is the size of a football field – not just every single day, but every single second! It’s a travesty, considering how critical our rainforests are to regulating the earth’s climate and sequestering global warming-causing carbon dioxide.
Thankfully, the Tropical Rainforest Coalition is doing something to stop it. Established in 1991, this mission of this all-volunteer non-profit is to:
Preserve tropical rainforest ecosystems, their indigenous people and cultures at the local level through enabling volunteerism and through community education, and at the international level through technical and financial support for recognized organizations involved in the conservation of tropical rainforests.
They accomplish this goal through three types of projects:
* Rainforest Growth Fund, for “research, ecotourism, community participation and education and other essential infratructure to conserve rainforests.”
* Save-an-Acre, through which they acquire land in the rainforest to protect it.
* Save-a-Species, focused on the protecting the rainforests’ endangered species
Right now these projects are being carried out in Ecuador and Belize, and prior areas of concentration have included Peru and Trinidad.
Click here to learn more about the Tropical Rainforest Coalition and how you can help.
4-22-08
Happy Earth Day!
4-18-18
When you're going through the checkout line, most cashiers no longer bother to ask, "Paper or plastic?" Everything goes right into the plastic bags hanging from the dispeners conveniently placed right in front of them, with the paper bags usually hidden from view under the counter. Paper bags have their own drawbacks, but at least they don't take 1,000 years to decompose.
Fortunately, we have another choice altogether -- the reusable bags that are taking grocery store clerks by storm. Granted, you have to be quick with those trigger-happy plastic baggers, like placing your bags before your groceries on the conveyor belt, or blurting out "I've got bags!" before you can even squeeze in a friendly hello.
Though more and more people switch to reusable bags every day, it's impossible to ignore the countless grocery carts rolling out of stores with 10+ plastic bags filled with food that you know would have fit into four or five of those roomy reusable bags of your own.
"The average American family of four tosses out about 1,500 plastic sacks a year," write author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook's "Essential Skill #38: Choose the Right Bag." "Most of these [plastic] bags aren't biodegrading; the plastic just breaks up into tinier and tinier bits until it leaches into the soil or water."
Some cities are taking matters into their own hands, banning plastic bags altogether. But we shouldn't need laws to make such a smart, simple choice.
"There are an estimated 500 billion to one trillion new plastic bags used every year. That's as many as two million per minute," writes de Rothschild. "If one million people switched to reusable bags, we'd eliminate the need for one billion plastic bags."
If you have yet to make the switch, make it now. And if you tend to forget your bags at home, keep extras in the car. You can get them from most grocery stores, but they tend to be flimsy and are rarely made from recycled materials. Check out these durable reusable bag designs made from recycled cotton, plastic bottles and containers at ReusableBags.com.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Bush Reveals Climate Change Strategy
It’s been a long time coming – it’s just too bad it wasn’t worth the wait. Bush’s new climate change strategy falls far short of the aggressive action necessary for us to effecitvely impact global warming before it's too late. Click this link to read full story.
2) Researchers Release Top Polluting US Counties
Here’s how the top 10 emitters of CO2 stack up, including the county, state, city and tons of carbon dioxide emitted every year (numbers represent millions):
1. Harris, Texas (Houston), 18.625
2. Los Angeles, Calif. (Los Angeles), 18.595
3. Cook, Ill. (Chicago), 13.209
4. Cuyahoga, Ohio (Cleveland), 11.144
5. Wayne, Mich. (Detroit), 8.270
6. San Juan, N.M. (Farmington), 8.245
7. Santa Clara, Calif. (San Jose), 7.995
8. Jefferson, Ala. (Birmingham), 7.951
9. Wilcox, Ala. (Camden), 7.615
10. East Baton Rouge, La. (Baton Rouge), 7.322
Click this link to read full story.
3) China Announces Plans for Air Clean-up for Olympics
With the Olympic torch haphazardly making its way toward Beijing, China is feeling the pressure to clean up its infamous pollution. Steps include:
* Closing Beijing-area factories and cement plants for two months
* Banning the use of half of Beijing’s vehicles
* Banning the use of spray paint and other chemicals outside
* Closing a tenth of its gas stations
* Stopping construction in the Beijing area
Click this link to read full story.
4) Northern Ireland Welcomes World’s Largest Tidal Turbine
With rotors that will run up to 20 hours a day, Northern Ireland’s new tidal turbine will generate enough energy to power 1,000 homes. Click this link to read full story.
5) Critics Question World Bank’s Carbon-Offset Market
The World Bank says it wants to help fight climate change. So they loan money to fossil-fuel companies to help them make minor eco-friendlier changes. Then they sell carbon credits for the reductions. “This does nothing for increasing access to clean energy, the development of the low-carbon economy, or sustainable [solutions],” says the author of a report critical of the World Bank’s carbon-offset market. Click this link to read full story.
6) Renewable-Energy Tax Credit Gets an Extension
If you have yet to take advantage of the renewable-energy tax credit for “greening” your home, there’s still time. The Senate has passed an extension through 2009. Click this link to read full story.
7) Democrats To Take on the “Green Delegate Challenge”
At this year’s Democratic National Convention, delegates are being asked to participate in the “Green Delegate Challenge” – to buy as many carbon credits investing in clean-energy projects in Colorado. Click this link to read full story.
8) Green Groups Launch “Green Jobs for America” Campaign
The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), United Steelworkers and the Blue Green Alliance will push for the greening of jobs, with the focus on 12 strategically-targeted U.S. states. Click this link to read full story.
9) Ford Motor is Getting Greener
By 2020, Ford Motor Company says it will reduce greenhouse gases emitted from its vehicles by 30 percent. Click this link to read full story.
10) Student Finds Flaws in Textbook Coverage of Global Warming
“Science doesn’t know whether we are experiencing a dangerous level of global warming or how bad the greenhouse effect is, if it exists at all.” High-school senior Matthew LaClair didn’t blindly memorize that textbook “fact,” written by two conservative authors. He took to the Center for Inquiry who wrote report on the books biases, leading publisher Houghton Mifflin to say it’s reviewing the text. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
350
“The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth.”
So reads a portion of a letter from Bill McKibben, co-founder of Step It Up. He’s got a new project now – 350. The goal is to encourage people to “take the number 350 and drive it home: in art, in music, in political demonstrations, in any other way you can imagine.”
Best of all, you don’t have to wait for a special day to get started. That special day is now. Take the initiative and get 350 out there. When you do, take a picture and email it to organizers@350.org.
Click this link to learn more about 350 and how you can get involved.
4-6-08
Week #37: Living the Live Earth Pledge Find a hero.
That's Essential Skill #37 in The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook.
Our hero inspired this blog. From his organization of the Live Earth Concerts ... to his book and movie An Inconvenient Truth ... to his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize -- no one has raised awareness of climate change more than Al Gore.
Yet, Al Gore is one of countless eco-heroes whose lasting legacy on this earth will be the dedicated work they did on its behalf.
Handbook author David de Rothschild highlights some of these heroes, like:
- Jacques Cousteau, a scuba diver whose television specials showed us the importance of appreciating and preserving marine life
- Petra Kelly, who co-founded the German Green Party -- the world's first environmentalist party to achieve political significance
- John Muir, who co-founded the Sierra Club and helped Yosemite win designation as a national park
- Greg Nickels, the Seattle mayor who created the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement that hundreds have now signed
- Wangari Maathai, who founded the Green Belt movement in Kenya, which has planted more than 20 million acres of trees.
- Yvon Chouinard, a rock-climber who developed "clean climbing" equipment to minimize damage to the rocks
- Adam Wajrak, Poland's leading environmental journalist, working to protect wildlife threatened by post-communist development
- William McDonough, a leading architect in the sustainability movement
Read about other eco-heroes in the Ecology Hall of Fame.
As I said, our hero -- Al Gore -- inspired us to create this blog, as well as the associated website, Living Live Earth.
What does your eco-hero inspire in you?
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) States Sue EPA for Failure to Limit Vehicle Emissions
Fed up with the feds, 18 states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for not acting on its power to limit greenhouse gas emissions in new cars and trucks. It’s been a year since the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA had the power to do so. Nearly a dozen environmental groups and three cities also signed the lawsuit. Click this link to read full story.
2) UN Holds Another Round of Climate Talks in Bangkok
Though nothing concrete will come from it, the UN’s latest round of climate talks in Bangkok are a necessary part of the process in hammering out an international treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. “With the 2009 deadline,” says one UN Climate Change Secreatry Yvo de Boer of the climate talks, “we have just one and a half years in which to complete negotiations on what will probably be the most complex international agreement that history has ever seen.” Click this link to read full story.
3) Cosmic Rays Not To Blame for Global Warming
Despite its best efforts “The Great Global Warming Swindle” has been debunked. Broadcast in 2007, this program aired on UK TV suggested that cosmic rays are to blame for global warming. Since then, a team of researchers from Lancaster and Durham Universities tried to prove that hypothesis, but without success. Click this link to read full story.
4) Obama Wants Gore’s Advice On Climate
Al Gore may have a place in the new administration after all. Senator Barack Obama says that if he is elected, he would consider asking Gore to assume a cabinet-level position. “I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem,” says Obama. “He’s somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I’m already consulting with him in terms of these issues.” Click this link to read full story.
5) McCain to Fight Terrorists from White House Run on Nuclear Power
“I will work hard to ensure that Americans are safe from terrorists,” says Senator John McCain of his bid for the presidency, “and I will conduct that work from a White House reliant on safe, clean, nuclear power produced right here in the United States.”
6) Even Barbie is Going Green
Instead of throwing out scrap fabric and trimmings, Mattel will be patching these pieces together into an entire wardrobe for a new Barbie doll. “Barbie BCause is for eco-conscious girls who believe that being environmentally friendly is the right thing to do,” says a Mattel spokesperson. “And we are thrilled to give extra meaning and extra style to what was once just extra Barbie doll fabric.” Click this link to read full story.
7) US May Grow Biofuel Crops On Floating Barges
Responding to criticism that growing biofuel crops is stealing space from produce needed for food, the USDA is researching a possible solution – growing bioful-bound crops on floating barges at sea.
8) Porsche Challenges London Congestion Fee
If London’s Mayor gets his way, he’ll raise the congestion fee for the most-polluting vehicles entering the city from $16 a day to $50. Porsche complains the new fee would probably cause their sales to drop by as much as 11 percent. Since the automaker is apparently uninterested in manufacturing more efficient vehicles to get out of the “most-polluting” category, Porsche is appealing to the courts for help. Click this link to read full story.
9) Baseball Team Plays On First Green-Built Stadium in the U.S.
From locally-manufactured building materials … to efficient lighting and plumbing … to drought-resistant plants, the new green-built Washington Nationals baseball stadium is the first of its kind in the country. Ironically, President Bush threw out the first green pitch. Click this link to read full story.
10) Navajo Nation Pushes for Wind, and Coal?
Though they recently signed a deal for a wind-powered project on its Western reservation, the Navajo Nation is also trying to get approval for a new coal plant. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
WE, a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection
Last week, Al Gore announced the launch of a $300 million advertising campaign for WE, a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection. WeCanSolveIt.com is the website address, and also the driving force behind the project – that with individual effort and political will, we can stop human-caused global warming before it’s too late.
The WE campaign’s first television ad has already started airing, and future ads will feature odd pairings of people – like Pat Buchanan and Al Sharpton, and Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich – the point being that this is a non-partisan issue. If there’s one thing we should all be able to agree on, it’s the urgency of working together on this issue of climate change.
On WE’s website are many ways of getting involved:
* Join the WE campaign
* Sign the petition to urge for a global treaty on climate change and urge the press to ask more global warming questions of the presidential candidates
* Learn about the solutions to climate change
* Get involved in your own community
* Read success stories
* Watch videos, including the powerful Black Balloons video
* Sign up for periodic updates from WE
Click this link to visit and join the WE campaign today.
4-1-08
Al Gore's Alliance Launches New Website
As part of its $300 million marketing campaign to encourage everyone to help solve the climate crisis, The Alliance for Climate Protection has a new website to promote the new WE campaign. Check it out at WeCanSolveIt.org.
3-30-08
Week #36: Living the Live EarthPledge "One million commuters waste about 47 million hours per year because of traffic congestion," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Thus the need for Essential Skill # 36:
Decongest downtown.
As unlikely as it seems, Manhattan demonstrates just the kind of decongestion de Rothschild is talking about. Sure, there's bumper-to-bumper traffic in the streets, but there's also heel-to-toe traffic on the sidewalks, as so many Manhattanites "hoof it" most everywhere they go. Or they ride bikes, or take public transportation.
In fact, 82 percent of Manhattan residents walk, bike or take public transit instead of riding or driving in a car. The results are substantial:
"Manhattanites consume gasoline at a low rate that the country as a whole hasnt' matched since the 1920s," writes de Rothschild, "and generate less than one-third of the carbon emissions of the average American."
In the Handbook, de Rothschild notes three ways that cities are decongesting their downtown areas: 1) Charging vehicles to go downtown, 2) City bike programs and 3) Bus Rapid Transit, where one lane is designated for buses only. Cities all over the world are adopting programs like these at a greater rate than ever, and the public is responding.
Click these links for details on congestion charging, shared bike programs and bus rapid transit.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Gore Alliance Announces $300 Million Marketing Campaign On Climate Change
“We have to mainstream this,” says The Alliance for Climate Protection of educating people on what they can do to help stop climate change. “It has to become easy and normal.” In an effort to help, The non-profit Alliance is launching a $300 million marketing campaign filled with the “how-to” messages peole need to hear. Click these links to read full story and learn more about The Alliance for Climate Protection.
2) Huge Chunk of Ice Shelf Collapses In Antarctica
It's the fastest warming place on earth, and it's melting before our eyes. The Antarctic Peninsula is now 160-square miles smaller. A piece of ice seven times the size of Manhattan has fallen off the Wilkins ice shelf in the western Antarctic Peninsula. Scientists first noticed a change in the ice on February 28, and it took less than one month for it to fall off into the ocean. The British Antarctic Survey calls this a sure sign of global warming. Click this link to read full story.
3) World Turns Out Lights for Earth Hour
In a campaign to raise awareness for energy conservation, people all over the world turned off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. during their local time zone on Saturday, March 29. Click this link for details from Earth Hour.
4) Soot Pollution Much Bigger Problem than Previously Believed
According to new research, soot pollution has a global warming factor three to four times greater than previously believed, second only to carbon dioxide. The good news is that soot only stays in our atmosphere for about a week (compared carbon dioxide’s 100 years), so tackling the soot problem could help reduce global warming significantly. Click this link to read full story.
5) Western U.S. Fastest Warming Spot In the World
According to new data compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the U.S. West is warming up faster than any other place on earth. The NRDC warns of the drought conditions likely to follow in the region’s fastest growing cities. Click these links to read full story and to read the NRDC’s full report.
6) Congestion Pricing Favored By New York’s New Governor
In support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal, the New York’s new Governor David Paterson supports congestion pricing in Manhattan. If passed, the proposal will charge every car $8 to enter the downtown area. Click this link to read full story.
7) Bush Administration Plans To Propose Carbon Dioxide Rules This Spring
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency must consider regulating CO2 emissions from vehicles, the Bush Administration says they’ll propose rules this spring. Critics says waiting so late in Bush’s administration is a tactic to prevent new rules from actually taking effect before he leaves office. “The name of the game here is to run out the clock, basically,” says a spokesman from the NRDC. “All of this stuff will come in a big pile and it will be on the next administration’s desk.” Click this link to read full story