Living Live Earth Archives

12-26-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 23: LIving the Live Earth Pledge
"It's not the plug: electricity consumption accounts for just one-fifth of a computer's lifetime energy toll," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "The rest comes largely from the tremendous amounts of fuel -- usually coal -- burned to power its manufacture."

So instead of tossing your old computer into the trash where it will only go to waste taking up space in the landfill, try Essential Skill #23:

Send your PC packing.

If you want a new computer donate your old one to a friend or a non-profit, or try selling it online at Amazon or Ebay. If your PC is broken, try recycling it through manufacturers like Apple, Dell, HP and Sony, among others. Or take it to your local Staples store where they'll recycle it for you. If all else fails, contact your local hazardous waste department for e-recycling drives or drop-offs.

Whatever you do, please do not throw your PC into the trash, as it may contain toxic substances dangerous for landfills.

Ideally, you should try upgrading the computer you already have by adding more memory or a faster processor.

"If one million people reused or upgraded their computers, we would save 265,000 tons of fossil fuels," adds de Rothschild. Unfortuantely though, "4 billion pounds of electronic waste go to landfills each year. Only about 10% of computers are recycled."

For links to e-recycling programs in your area, check out E-Cycling Central at www.eiae.org.

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) Bush Signs New Energy Bill
By 2020, cars and light trucks must get 35 miles per gallon. That’s according to a new energy bill signed by President Bush last week, which also requires 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022 and higher energy efficiency in appliances and light bulbs, among other things. Of course, the bill Bush signed is a watered-down version that will not require utilities to get 15% of their energy from renewables or cut tax breaks and subsidies to oil and gas companies. Click this link to read full story.

2) US EPA Denies Waiver to California
“The Bush administration is moving forward on a clear national solution – not a confusing patchwork of state rules – to reduce America’s climate footprint from vehicles,” says the EPA chief. So the answer is a big “no” to California on granting a waiver that would have allowed the state to regulate their own vehicle emissions to standards stricter than those imposed on a federal level. California is expected to sue – a lawsuit that the EPA is expected to lose. Click this link to read full story.

3) Time Magazine Names Al Gore First-Runner Up for Person of the Year
“Al [Gore] is at work repositioning his country from the inside out as a leader in clean energy,” writes Bono in Time Magazine of its first runner up for Person of the Year, “and along the way restoring faith in the U.S. as a moral powerhouse that can lead a great, global spiritual revival as the temperature rises.” Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Person of the Year and Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling second runner up. Click this link to read Bono's article at Time Magazine.

4) Researchers Say Sea-Level Rise Twice That of IPCC Predictions
According to new report in Nature Geoscience, the ocean could rise twice as much as predicted by scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These researchers say the rise could be as much as 64 inches, or more than five feet. Click this link to read full story.

5) Birds Threatened By Climate Change
The warmer it gets, the higher vegetation will climb for cooler temperatures. Inevitably, the birds will have to follow. “It’s like an escalator to extinction,” says the lead author of a new report in Conservation Biology. “As a species is forced upwards and its elevational range narrows, the species moves closer to extinction.” Within the century, we could lose 40 to 550 bird species. Click this link to read full story.

6) Food Service Goes Green in US House
As part of the Greening the Capitol initiative, the 2.5 million meals served annually in the US House of Representatives will feature local, organic food; compostable containers; and biodegradable utensils. Click this link to read full story.

7) Power Company First in US to Use Wave Power
Though four years away and subject to government approval, Pacific Gas & Electric has signed a deal that makes it the first power company in the US to generate electricity from wave power, which will come from eight buoys off the coast of Northern California. Click this link to read full story.

8) US Plans “Clean Coal” Demonstration
Determined to prove that coal can be cleaned up, the US Department of Energy is planning to build a $1.8 billion “clean coal” plant in Illinois called FutureGen, its completed planned for 2012. Click this link to read full story.

9) Germans Call for Sanctions on Energy-Intensive U.S. Products
“We cannot let the U.S. continue to block multilateral agreements, as it tried with Kyoto, or weaken them, as it did in Bali,” say the German Social Democrats. So they’re calling for sanctions or special taxes on “energy-intensive” products exported from the U.S., such as aluminum and steel. Click this link to read full story.

10) Bush’s Fossil Energy Nominee Linked to Coal Industry
Not only did Stanley Suboleski serve as the COO of the Massey Energy mining company for three years – a company charged with thousands of violations of the Clean Water Act – but Suboleski is still one of Massey’s paid consultants. Yet, President Bush has nominated Suboleski as the assistant secretary of fossil energy. Click this link to read full story.

If the U.S. House of Representatives had gotten its way, the energy bill that President Bush signed into law last week would have been a lot tougher. The House wanted utilities to be required to get 15% of their energy from renewables and they wanted to cut tax breaks and subsidies to the oil and gas industry.

This is just one of many green examples set by the House in recent months, including its new sustainable food service announced last week. All 2.5 million meals served annually will feature local, organic food; compostable containers; and biodegradable utensils.

The House’s green goals began nine months ago when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer introduced the Greening the Capitol Initiative, with three goals in mind. To:

1) Operate the House in a carbon-neutral manner by the end of the 110th Congress
2) Reduce the carbon footprint of the House by cutting energy consumption by 50 percent in 10 years
3) Make House operations a model of sustainability

Click this link to read the full report of the Greening the Capitol Initiative.

12-17-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 22: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Four pounds. That's how much trash the average American generates in just one day. Find out how your trash stacks up with Essential Skill #22 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook:

Audit your garbage.

Author David de Rothschild suggests dumping one day's worth of trash -- recyclable items included -- onto a big tarp for sorting and weighing.

"Everything in your trash can has a carbon cost," he writes, "but the messy details are usually out of sight. You need to see it all together, in the plain light of day, to grasp your excess."

In fact, Americans generate 245.7 million tons of trash each year. What's worse is that we throw away 25% of our food, or 96 billion pounds a year!

But if "dumpster diving" into your trash can isn't for you, at the very least weigh a trash bag with one day's worth of garbage in it. Do the same with a trash bag filled with the same day's recycling. Estimate the weight of how much food went down the disposal.

Then add it all up.

Multiply the weight of one day's trash generation by 365, then add in an estimated weight of all that "special occasion" trash generation during the holidays. Then, multiply that number by 30 to take into account all the "trash behind the trash" created by the industries that your consumption supports, as they generate 7.6 billion tons of annual waste.

"Plan for the future by reviewing each item in your trash," writes de Rothschild. "Was it needed in the first place? Did you use it before you threw it out? Remember that recycled goods take less energy to finish into final products. Think about what you can do to improve your recycling and consumption rates, and to it!"

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) Bali Roadmap Winds Its Way Home
After going into overtime, the United Nations Climate Change Conference ended on Saturday with a two-year plan for negotiating a new global warming pact by 2009 – a pact that would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The European Union wanted to leave Bali with a commitment from industrial nations to cut emissions 25 to 40 percent by 2020. The US, Japan and others preferred waiting on binding agreements until the end of the 2-year negotiation. So as it stands, the only thing that all participating parties agreed on is that they need 24 more months to agree. Click this link to read full story.

2) European Union May Boycott Upcoming Climate Talks Hosted By US
Accusing the US delegation of blocking goals for emissions cuts at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali last week, the European Union has threatened to boycott the climate talks to be hosted by the US in Hawaii next month, where the world’s top economies will gather to discuss future cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Al Gore echoed the EU's concerns, saying the US was "principally responsible" for blocking progress at the conference. Click this link to read full story.

3) Senate Passes Watered-Down Energy Bill
The House version of the energy bill would have required utilities to get 15% of their energy from renewables by 2020 and would have cut tax breaks and subsidies for oil companies. The Senate version does neither. Now the Senate version goes back to the House for approval, a version which still includes a 35-miles-per-gallon for vechiles by 2020. If approved, President Bush is expected to sign it. Click this link to read full story.

4) Judge Rules California CAN Regulate Emissions From Vehicles
When California passed a law requiring that all vehicles must emit 30% less greenhouse gas emissions by 2016, “Big Auto” sued. After three long years, the verdict is in, and California won. Still, it’s a waiting game as the US EPA has yet to give California the wavier necessary to implement the program. California sued for a quicker response, which is expected by the end of the month. Click this link to read full story.

5) North Sea Victim of Latest Oil Spill
During a transfer of crude oil from an offshore oil platform to a tanker, up to a million gallons spilled into the North Sea, now the second-largest oil spill in Norwegian history. Click this link to read full story.

6) Bush Administration Manipulated Climate Change Science Says New House Report
After a 16-month investigation, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has found that the Bush administration “engaged in a systematic effort to manipulate climate change science and mislead policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming.” Click this link to read full story.

7) Greenland Ice Sheet Shows Record Melting in 2007
Since scientists started using satellites to keep track of melting ice in Greenland in 1979, the year of record melting was 2005 … until now. 2007 is now the year of record-setting melt of Greenland’s ice sheet. Over the past 12 months, there’s been 10 percent more melting than in 2005. Click this link to read full story.

8) ExxonMobil To Build Floating Liquefied-Natural-Gas Terminal
In an effort to lessen local opposition to potential pollution, leaks, explosions and other dangers, ExxonMobil wants to build its liquefied-natural-gas terminal 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey. If approved, the terminal will produce 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, starting with its completion in 2015. Click this link to read full story.

9) Chinese Website Points Finger At Polluters
In the wake of an announcement that the Olympic Committee will reschedule events at the Beijing Games if polluted air is too dangerous for athletes, a new website “names-and-shames” polluters. Already, 50 of those named have responded, two of which have been able to clear their names by changing their practices and havinga third-party audit. You can check out the China Air Pollution Map at air.ipe.org.cn. Click this link to read full story.

10) Al Gore’s House Gets a Green Makeover
From solar panels to a rainwater-collection system to geothermal heating, Al Gore’s 80-year-old home is now considered one of the most environmentally-friendly in the nation by the US Green Building Council. Click this link to read full story.

“In the next few years, we as a nation will make, or fail to make, critical decisions regarding global warming pollution and clean technology investments. These decisions will have far-reaching and irreversible impacts on the lives of today’s students and the lives of their children. At this moment in time, we owe our young people at least a day of focused discussion about global warming solutions for America.”

So reads the website of Focus the Nation, an educational initiative that is organizing a National Teach-In on Wednedsay, January 31, 2008. Participating schools will spend the entire day focusing on one issue – global warming and the appropriate response.

More than 1,100 schools have already signed up, including colleges, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Many will lead the teach-in themselves, with faculty members speaking for 10 minutes then leading a 30-minute discussion. Other schools will watch a free, live interactive webcast of “The 2% Solution.”

If your school, or your child’s school, isn’t on the list of National Teach-In participants, find out how to get them involved. Click this link to learn more about Focus the Nation.

12-10-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 21: Living the Live Earth Pledge

It takes a lot less energy making the trip on foot to your home office than to drive the average 25-minute commute to work outside the house. Yet, only 1 in 10 of us make the most of this opportunity to not only save on CO2 emissions, but also to save on time and money.

It's Essential Skill #21 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: Work at home.

As author David de Rothschild points out, "2 weeks would be saved each year if you eliminated your daily 40-minute commute." More importantly, "If one million people worked at home full-time, we'd eliminate 3 millions tons of CO2 a year."

Though 9 in 10 of us still drive to work every day, the number of people who choose to work from home is growing every year -- by 7.5% in the US alone.

If the nature of your job allows, ask your employer about telecommuting. Find a new work-at-home position. Or start your own home-based business. There are countless resources out there to help you get started, such as 2Work-At-Home and Home Based Working Moms.

"Steer clear of the TV, chores, phone calls to friends, and other distractions," warns de Rothschild. "You're setting a brave example here, not catching up on E!"

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) UN Climate Change Conference Continues In Bali
More than 10,000 people are attending the much-anticipated UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, scheduled to continue through December 14. Though daily press releases stress that there will be no binding climate change agreement made at the Conference itself, it is laying the groundwork for negotiations on a post-Kyoto world when that treaty expires in 2012.

Hot topics at the Conference include adaptation, mitigation, deforestation, financing the response to climate change and new technologies. Both the US and Australia reject caps on carbon emissions, and China wants richer nations to fund cleaner technologies in poor nations. Click this link to learn more at the UN Climate Change Conference website.

2) Indonesia Offsets Conference’s Carbon Emissions With Millions of Trees
It’s estimated that the UN Climate Change Conference will generate 50,000 tons of greenhouse gases, including flights to and from Bali, as well as activities while participants are on the island. To offset the impact, Indonesia planted millions of trees – enough to absorb approximately 900,000 tons of CO2 throughout their lifetimes. Click this link to read full story.

3) Thousands Rally All Over the World for Serious Climate Action
To coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, thousands of people demonstrated in dozens of cities all over the world this past weekend, including the National Polar Bear Plunge. The goal – to raise awareness and to attract the attention of Conference participants, urging them to take seriously the need for urgent, dramatic action against climate change. Click this link to read full story.

4) US Senate Stalls Energy Bill
It would have 1) required utility companies to get 15% of their energy from renewable resources by 2020, and it would have 2) cut tax breaks and subsidies for oil companies. And that’s precisely why Senate Republicans rejected the energy bill passed by the House last week, receiving only 53 of the 60 necessary votes. If the Senate takes those provisions out, the energy bill goes back to the House for approval of the watered-down version. Click this link to read full story.

5) Oil Tanker Spills Millions of Gallons Off S. Korean Coast
When a barge hit an oil tanker near one of South Korea’s most scenic coastlines, the tanker spill at least 2.7 million gallons of oil into the sea. It’s South Korea’s worst oil spill in history, and estimated to be at least one-third the size of the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill in1989. Click this link to read full story here and here.

6) Gore & IPCC Attend Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony & Concert
Today, Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change accepted their Nobel Peace Prize awards at the annual ceremony held every December 10 to commemorate the death of Alfred Nobel.

Tomorrow evening is the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway, featuring performances by Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue, Earth, Wind & Fire, Melissa Etheridge, KT Tunstall, among others.

Below is an excerpt from Al Gore’s acceptance speech today:

“One hundred and nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life’s work, unfairly labeling him “The Merchant of Death” because of his invention – dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace.

Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name.

Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken – if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose.”

7) China Introduces 8 Biomass Plants
“Compared with coal-fired power plants, these biomass projects are expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 800,000 tons annually,” according to a spokesperson for China’s National Bio Energy Company. Click this link to read full story.

8) San Francisco May Pass City Carbon Tax
If Mayor Gavin Newsom gets his way, San Francisco will be the second city in the nation to pass a carbon tax. (Boulder, Colorado was the first.) In addition to imposing carbon taxes on businesses, the legislation would also reward those companies that encourage employees to use public transportation. Click this link to read full story.

9) Methane-Eating Bacteria Could Help Fight Global Warming
If a newly discovered species of bacteria can do in landfills what it does in the hot springs of “Hell’s Gate” in New Zealand, we could have a new partner in the fight against global warming. According to a new report in Nature magazine, this microorganism eats methane, a damaging greenhouse gas produced in landfills, mines, industrial wastes, geothermal power plants, among others. Click this link to read full story.

10) Trees Moving Further North as Climate Warms
The warmer it gets, the further north trees are going to grow. That’s according to a new study by the Canadian Forest Service, which predicts that this northward shift will result in cutting North American tree ranges by more than half. Click this link to read full story.

Live Earth Leader of the Week
United Nations Climate Change Conference

More than a decade ago, the United Nations recognized the need for international dialogue on how to respond to global warming. In response, they formed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which now has 192 parties representing most countries all over the world.

The goal of the UNFCCC is this: “To stabilize greenhouse gas emissions to levels that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

The annual meeting of UNFCCC parties is the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an opportunity for all members to come together to share information and ideas.

Of course, dialogue means nothing without action, thus the UNFCCC formed the Kyoto Protocol, a legally binding agreement signed by 176 parties, all committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by five percent lower than 1990 levels, all by 2012.

With Kyoto set to expire in four years, this week’s annual United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia has three main objectives:

1) To launch negotiations on a climate change deal for the post 2012 period
2) To set the agenda for these negotiations
3) To reach agreement on when these negotiations will have to be concluded

More than 10,000 people are in attendance at the conference in Bali, with 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore scheduled to address the Convention in the coming days.

"I will speak about the need for a visionary treaty to be completed, ratified and brought into effect everywhere in the world by 2010,” he has said in asking us to sign a petition of support that he will take on stage with him “as a clear demonstration of our resolve.” If you have yet to sign his petition, click this link to join Al in Bali now.

12-6-07

Al Gore Needs Our Support in Bali
In a few days, Al Gore will be in Indonesia addressing the UN Climate Change Conference. He's asking for our support:

"I will speak about the need for a visionary treaty to be completed, ratified and brought into effect everywhere in the world by 2010. I need you, your friends and family to sign this petition calling for a new, positive leadership role by our elected leaders. I will bring your signatures on stage with me as a clear demonstration of our resolve."

To sign this petition calling for "a visionary global treaty to be completed and brought into effect by 2010" click this link to join Al in Bali now.

(This is different than signing the Live Earth 7-Point Pledge. Please sign this important petition now.)

Live Earth DVD/CD On Sale Now
It's finally here. The DVD/CD combo of "Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate In Crisis," featuring 30 musical performances, six short films, artist commentaries and interviews, and a “What You Can Do” section. All proceeds go to the non-profit Alliance for Climate Protection. Get yours now from Amazon for less than 20 bucks.

Want to know what's on it first? Click this link to our Re-Live the Concerts page for a list of performances.

12-3-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 20: Living the Live Earth Pledge

This year may tie with 2006 as the sixth warmest one on record, but there's still a chill in the air. As it gets colder during the winter months, instead of turning up the heat, try Essential Skill #20 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook:

Put on a sweater. (Just please, make it sheep-friendly.)

"By donning a sweater indoors," writes author David de Rothschild, "and lowering your thermostat 2 degrees Fahrenheit, you can save up to 4% on your energy bill and prevent 500 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere over the course of one year."

And layering your clothes doesn't have to be reserved for romps in the snow. As de Rothschild notes, "We lose 90% of our body heat through our skin, mostly through our heads." Put on two or three shirts under that sweater. Wear two pairs of socks. Put on a beanie hat with a light jacket hoodie.

Why waste electricity heating your home when you can create and capture body heat of your own?

For details on saving energy with thermostat regulation, check out this link to DoItYourself.com.

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) World Leaders Meeting In Bali To Discuss New Climate Treaty
The Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. What we do after that will depend on what comes out of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia this week. Nearly 200 nations will have representatives in attendance. “The world’s scientists have spoken, clearly with one voice,” says UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. “In Bali, I expect the world’s policymakers to do the same. Citizens all over the world are organizing events in conjunction with these climate change talks, including the National Polar Bear Plunge in the US. Click this link to read full story. Click this link to find or create a plunge in your area.

2) Google to Invest in Cleaner Energy
Wind, solar and geothermal power are the focus of Google’s new investment plan they call “Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal.” This Internet giant plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into renewable-energy technologies. Click this link to read full story.

3) Federal Trade Commission Reviewing Green Marketing Guidelines Early
This past year, the chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review its 10-year-old Green Marketing Guidelines. “As the opportunity to profit in this sector attracts more players,” he said, “the potential for marketing claims to misleadingly portray the offset products in question also grows.” In response, the FTC says they’ll review the Guidelines sooner than its scheduled 2009 review. Click this link to read full story.

4) Scientific Organization Urges Nations to Invest in Ocean Exploration
“We know more about the surface of the moon than the deep ocean,” says a spokesperson for the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO). That’s why they’re urging the 72-nation Group on Earth Observations to invest in deep sea exploration, which uncover critical findings related to global warming. Click this link to read full story.

5) Frito-Lay To Make Eco-Friendlier Chips in Arizona Factory
With new eco-friendly changes to its Arizona factory, Frito-Lay plans to reduce the factory’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%! Eco-friendly efforts include:
* Using potato peelings to fertilize farmland
* Powering the factory with 50 acres of solar concentrators, heat from heat stacks and recycled wastewater
* Lighting the factory with skylights
If all goes according to plan, Frito-Lay will make similar changes at other factories across the US. Click this link to read full story.

6) International Business Community Wants Mandatory Cuts in Emissions
From Coca-Cola to General Electric to British Airways, 150 members of the international business community want to see mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, citing the overwhelming evidence of human-caused climate change. Click this link to read full story.

7) Midnight Oil Front Man Appointed as Australia’s Environment Minister
Kevin Rudd, Australia’s new Prime Minister, has appointed the former lead singer of Midnight Oil as Environment Minister. This announcement comes on the heels of Rudd’s commitment to Australia finally adopting the Kyoto Protocol. Click this link to read full story.

8) Beijing Building “Green Belt” for “Rest and Recreation”
Residents are hard-pressed to find grassy open areas for playing or picnic-ing in Beijing Now, though, in one of many recent efforts to create a greener city of the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is building a kilometer-wide “green belt.” Click this link to read full story.

9) New Jersey May Ban Plastic Bags
If a proposed plan passes, New Jersey will be first state in the US to ban plastic grocery bags in stores 10,000 square feet or larger. Plastic grocery bags are already banned in San Francisco, Paris and South Africa. Click this link to read full story.

10) New Logos on Products May Tell Consumers “Recyclability”
Green-minded consumers want to know how much of a product they buy is recyclable. Retailers want to help, which is why they propose three logos to communicate a product’s “recyclability” – 1) “widely recyclable” items, 2) “check locally” items and 3) “not currently recycled” items. Click this link to read full story.

Live Earth Leader of the Week
Avalaunch, a festival that saves lives

As the climate changes, so does the danger of avalanches. Without education on changing snowpack, glaciers and quality of snow, those in the worldwide snowriding community are at serious risk.

Snow safety is the number one concern of the non-profit Avalaunch, a social and environmental movement that celebrates live music, film and snow while promoting avalanche awareness and environmental stewardship within the snowriding community.

In January 2008, Avalaunch will begin its North American “Avalaunch Festival” tour to promote avalanche awareness and sustainable actions, and to raise funds for avalanche awareness classes.

The Festival will “launch” at “The Depot” for the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City on January 25 and 26, featuring Michael Franti and Spearhead, with special guests. Then the Avalaunch Festival, featuring a variety of other big name artists, will travel to 21 major ski communities in the US.

Avalaunch was founded by Sam Porter, an avid skier until a rock-climbing injury in 2001. Sam also owns Porterhouse Productions, one of the most active independent arts promotion companies in the Rockies.

For more information about Avalaunch, visit AvalaunchFest.com. Get tickets to the Salt Lake City fundraiser in January at SmithsTix.com.

11-26-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 19: Living the Live Earth Pledge

"Every retail item you purchase has already cost energy -- and produced CO2 -- to grow, mine, manufacture, alter, or build, and then transport," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.

"This energy is unrecoverable -- i.e., wasted totally -- unless the stuff is reused as is (for maximum return on energy investment), reused as something else (called 'new life reuse'), or recycled (for a lower return)."

Recycle your stuff with Essential Skill #19:

Advertise your trash.

Though you could go the old-fashioned route and advertise in the paper, why not go with the paper-less (and mostly free) advertising options online. From furniture to clothes to those oddball items that don't seem to fit into any category at all, chances are, someone in cyberspace wants what you don't.

De Rothschild suggests the following online advertising venues:

Of course, while you're there turning your trash into someone else's treasure, dig around for some gold of your own. As de Rothschild notes, "You may never need to waste a day at the mall again."

For other recycling options, check out this link to NewDream.org.

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) Australia’s New Prime Minister Plans To Ratify Kyoto
Right now, Australia is one of only two industrialized countries that did sign the Kyoto Protocol. Now thanks to the newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, only the United States will hold that infamous distinction. Rudd says he will make good on his campaign promise and ratify the Kyoto Protocol in the coming weeks. Click this link to read fully story.

2) After Long Decline, Emissions Rise In Industrialized Countries
“Greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2000 went down, but then between 2000 and 2005 they increased again.” That’s according to the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the same organization hosting the much-anticipated climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia in December. Click this link to read full story.

3) Indiana Approves New Coal Plant
Duke Energy has received approval from Indiana to build a new coal-fired powered plant in the southern part of the state. As disappointing as this development may be, the approval comes with the first-of-its-kind requirement of an energy company – that they study the possibility of incorporating carbon capture technology. Click this link to read full story.

4) British Prime Minister Outlines Ambitious Greening Plan
In a recent speech, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that he’s committed to cutting emissions 80% by 2050. The plan includes 1) building only carbon neutral homes by 2016, 2) giving away insulation, low-energy light bulbs and efficient appliances, 3) eliminating plastic bags, 4) getting 40% of British energy from renewables by 2020. Click this link to read full story.

5) Past Proves Climate Change Linked To War, Famine, Population Decline
Though they studied the impact of a cooling period from 1400 to 1900, researchers say similar results could manifest in a warming period like the one we’re seeing now: “With more droughts and a rapidly growing population, it is going to get harder and harder to provide food for everyone and thus we should not be surprised to see more instances of starvation and probably more cases of hungry people clashing over scarce food and water.” According to another recent report, as many 46 countries and 56 states are at risk of conflict or serious political instability. Click this link to read full story.

6) China Releases New 5-Year Pollution Plan
Though long overdue, China has finally released its 2006-2010 plan for reducing pollution. The goals include 1) cutting two key pollution measures 10% by 2010, 2) cleaning up dirty lakes and rivers, and 3) recycling more waste and run-off. The plan also involves heavier fines and restrictions on polluters, stating “Clean-ups of industrial pollution must follow the principle that the polluter bears responsibility.” Click this link to read full story.

7) Greener Bulbs Lighting Up Rockefeller Christmas Tree
In what Mayor Michael Bloomberg hopes will inspire the tens of millions of people who will see it, this year’s tree in Rockefuller Center will be lit with 30,000 energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LED’s). These multi-colored lights will consume 1,297 kilowatts of electricity per day, a significant decrease from the 3,510 kilowatts per day with incandescent light bulbs. The daily energy savings is enough to light a 2,000-square-foot home for one month. Click this link to read full story.

8) Product Labels Misleading “Green” Consumers
According to a study of more than 1,000 “green” products from “big-box” stores, only one of them was completely accurate in its labeling. All of the others were guilty of one of six “greenwashing” tactics to make the products seem more eco-friendly. Click this link to read full story.

9) Japan Researching New Ethanol Technology
As the third largest consumer of oil in the world, Japan wants to cut down on its gasoline consumption by introducing a more affordable technology for producing cellulosic ethanol by 2015. Research includes trying to make ethanol out of silver grass, a common grass in Japan. Click this link to read full story.

10) Germany To Increase Biofuel Blending 20% By 2015
Though taxes on biofuels are forcing many German producers to close or stop production, Germany says it plans to increase biofuel blending in the years ahead – 10% by 2010 and 20% by 2020. Click this link to read full story.

Live Earth Leader of the Week
National Polar Bear Plunge

For the third year in a row, environmental activists will jump into cold bodies of water to bring media and public attention to the climate crisis.

As the National Polar Bear Plunge website states:

“The May 2nd National Snow and Ice Data Center report found that arctic sea ice is melting faster than previously predicted, and that the top of the world could be free or nearly free of summer sea ice by 2020. If Arctic sea ice is lost at this accelerated rate, it would mean almost certain extinction for polar bears – as well as a potentially catastrophic jolt for global climate patterns.”

This year’s National Polar Bear Plunge is on December 8th, coinciding with the much-anticipated climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia, where world leaders will make plans for a post-Kyoto world.

Though originating in the Maryland/Virginia/DC area where plungers jump into Chesapeake Bay, the Polar Bear Plunge is now nationwide, with at least 30 planned in more than a dozen states.

To join a plunge, or start one of your own, click this link to the National Polar Bear Plunge website.

11-18-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 18: Living the Live Earth Pledge

“We are almost as addicted to Styrofoam as we are to oil,” writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. “The U.S. makes some three million tons of it each year, the majority of which goes into the landfill.”

Styrofoam is made out of fossil fuels, and takes thousands of years to decompose. It’s used in everything from disposable cups and plates to packaging materials to insulation.

Thus, Essential Skill #18: Say No to Styrofoam.

Though de Rothschild suggests making your own packing peanuts out of real popcorn, a more practical solution is the packing peanuts made of corn starch. They look and feel similar to Styrofoam, but immerse them in water, and they dissolve.

“25 billion Styrofoam cups are thrown away by Americans each year,” adds de Rothschild. So if you must use a disposable cup, always choose paper over Styrofoam.

Another one of de Rothschild’s suggestions is choosing products with as limited packaging as possible. “Unpack your product right there in the store,” he says, “and hand all that pesky packaging to the manager. This sends a message to retailers to downsize their waste.”

Fortunately, there is an infrastructure in place for you to recycle any Styrofoam you may already have. Check to see if there’s a program in your area at EpsPackaging.org/info.

To comment and/or read previous Essential Skills, click this link to our Living the Live Earth Pledge blog.

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) IPCC Releases Brief Summary on Climate Change
On November 17, the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change released its "Summary for Policymakers." This summary condenses all three reports issued by the U.N. agency this past year. When they met in Spain last week to prepare the summary, the top climate official said failure to act based on this data would be “criminally irresponsible.” Click this link to read full story. Click this link to read the 25-page "Summary for Policymakers", or read the "Summary of the Summary" blog from from Greenlight News. To learn more about the IPCC, scroll down to our Live Earth Leader of the Week.

2) Russian Oil Tanker Spills 2,000 Tons Into Black Sea
During a storm last week, a Russian oil tanker broke in half. It was carrying 4,000 tons of oil, at least half of which has spilled into ocean. Some lost their lives, and others are missing. Thousands of birds soaked in oil, unable to fly, some unable to walk; as many as 30,000 may die from what Russian officials are calling an “environmental disaster,” as well as countless fish. Though clean-up is ongoing, it’s estimated that it will take between five and 10 years for this marine environment to recover. Click this link to read full story here and here and here.

3) Live Earth Concert CD/DVD Drops December 4
Just in time for Christmas, Warner Brothers Records is releasing a CD/DVD combo of Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate In Crisis, featuring 30 musical performances, six short films, artist commentaries and interviews, and a “What You Can Do” section. It goes on sale December 8, and all proceeds go to the non-profit Alliance for Climate Protection. Click this link to get more info.

4) Al Gore To Counsel Venture-Capital Firm On Green Investments
Remarkably, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore is adding another project to his plate of greens. Gore is joining as a partner of venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, providing the expert knowledge they need to invest in alternate-energy start-up companies. Though he will earn a salary for this work, Gore will donate it all to the non-profit Alliance for Climate Protection. Click this link to read full story.

5) China Says New Data Proves Pollution-Initiatives are Working
Between 2006 and 2010, China’s goal is to cut sulphor dioxide emissions and chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 10%. Though it sounds like a two drops in a very big bucket, China has new data proving that these greenhouse-gas emissions are going down – sulphor dioxide by 1.81% and COD by .28%. It’s just too bad China doesn’t release similar records for its carbon dioxide emissions, which are much more damaging to the environment. Click this link to read full story.

6) Midwestern States Form Greenhouse Gas Pact
Last week, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Manitoba signed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord, aimed at setting up a regional cap-and-trade system for trading emissions credits. Other goals include getting 30% of electricity from alternative fuels by 2030. Click this link to read full story.

7) E.U. Votes for Steeper Airline Emissions Reductions
If the European Union Parliament get its way, any airline that wants to fly within or into the European Union in 2011 and beyond, must reduce its emissions 10% below the 2004-2006 average or buy carbon credits from airlines that do. Click this link to read full story.

8) Court Rejects Bush Administration’s Fuel Economy Regulations of Light Trucks/SUV’s
When setting fuel economy regulations for light trucks and SUV’s manufactured between 2008 and 2011, the Bush administration did not take into account the economic impact of emissions on climate change. That’s according to a federal appeals court decision that says the Transportation Department needs to come up with tougher standards. Click this link to read full story.

9) Look For Smarter Drivers On the Road
In January, 70 U.S. dealerships will start selling the Smart car ForTwo, a compact two-seater that gets 40 miles per gallon. More than 30,000 people have already reserved theirs with a $99 deposit. Click this link to read full story.

10) Walmart Releases Sustainability Report
“We make no claim of being a green corporation,” says Walmart CEO H. Lee Scott. Still, they’re making an effort, as evidenced in their first “Sustainability Report.” They met their goal of selling 100 million CFL’s over the past 12 months, they have increased the energy efficiency of buildings and trucks by 15% since 2005 and they’re planning to reduce sold waste in their U.S. stores 25% by next year. (And you’ve probably seen proof yourself in those new cloth shopping bags at checkout.) Click this link to read full story.

Live Earth Leader of the Week

IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change

Nearly 20 years ago, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) formed the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change.

It’s mission:

"To assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation."

IPCC is open to all WMO and UN members and those involved in the reports include 2,500+ scientific expert reviewers, 800+ contributing authors, 450+ lead authors and 130+ countries.

They released their first Assessment Report in 1990, a second in 1995, a third in 2001.

It was the IPCC’s fourth report, though, in 2007 that led to its receipt of the this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which the IPCC shares with Al Gore, “For their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”

Just last week, the IPCC released its “Summary for Policymakers,” condensing all three installments of its fourth report into one that can more easily be referenced by governments to make necessary changes in their environmental policies.

Click this link to learn more about the IPCC.

Click this link to read the “Summary for Policymakers.”

11-11-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 17: Living the Live Earth Pledge

If the subject of global warming seems overwhelming to you sometimes, imagine what it's like for children. It's nearly impossible to go a single day without hearing about it on television or in conversation. Sometimes it's new evidence of the dire impact of global warming. Other times it's arguments for why global warming is a hoax.

In The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, author David de Rothschild says there's just one way to avoid confusion and fear. It's Essential Skill #17:

Talk to your kids.

Instead of letting the media educate your kids on global warming, take the lead and educate them yourself -- just the basics though, with as limited information as they need (based on their age) to understand what's going on, but always with the bigger picture in mind.

Specifically, De Rothschild suggests that you:

Filter the information that comes into the home
Put the news in context (i.e., the earth isn't going to burn up tomorrow)
Encourage children to verbalize their fears
Be moderate, not obsessive
Be positive
Find ways children can help
Get active (i.e., encourage activities that let kids be kids, without worry or fear)

You can also direct children to environmental websites just for them where they can learn more and take action to help. One of our favorites is the webiste for our Live Earth Leader of the Week, Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. You can also browse through this comprehensive list of environmental websites for youth.

To comment and/or read previous Essential Skills, click this link to our Living the Live Earth Pledge blog.

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) Ship Headed for China Spills 58,000 Gallons of Oil Into San Francisco Bay
Though coast guards call it a “medium-sized spill,” the 58,000 tons of oil that leaked from a ship into San Francisco Bay this week led to four beach closures and threatens sea life. Click this link to read full story.

2) World Energy Need Expected To Rise 55% By 2050
According to this year’s World Energy Outlook from the International Energy Agency, global energy needs are going to rise by more than half within the next four decades. China and India are expected to lead the new energy surge. And unless every country takes dramatic action, greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 25% by 25% by 2030. Click this link to read full story.

3) California Sues U.S. EPA to Force Decision On Vehicle Emissions Regulations
For two years, California has been waiting on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make a decision – can the state enforce tougher vehicle emissions regulations than the federal government. Tired of waiting on an answer, California sued for it this week. Click this link to read full story.

4) Environmental Leaders To Green America’s Schools
This week at Greenbuild 2007, Bill Clinton announced plans to green America’s schools, led by his own Clinton Climate Initiative, as well as the Earth Day Network and U.S. Green Building Council. Click this link to read full story.

5) U.S. Capitol Buying $89,000 Worth of Carbon Credits
Thanks to the coal-fired power plant that is its energy source, the U.S. Capitol emits 30,000 tons of greenhouse gases each year. Though the House Chief Administrative Officer says there are plans to find an alternative energy source, they’ll be buying carbon credits until then –specifically $89,000 worth. Click this link to read full story.

6) U.S. Department of Energy Proposes $100 Million for Coal-to-Liquid Plant
The U.S. government wants to build a plant that will convert coal into a liquid fuel that would emit fewer greenhouse gases. However, the $100 million plant itself will emit 114 millions tons of the stuff over the lifetime of this publicly-funded project. Click this link to read full story.

7) Beijing Protecting Water Supply for 2008 Olympics
After nine years of drought, water is scarce in Beijing. So when they won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic games, they promised to treat 90% of the waste water and recycle half of the “resultant effluent” and they’re doing just that. Click this link to read full story.

8) New “Wilderness” Designation Would Protect Arctic Refuge From Drilling
If Senator Joe Lieberman and 25 of his colleagues get their way, the Arctic Refuge will be designated as wilderness, eliminating any possibility of drilling there for oil or gas. Click this link to read full story.

9) Brand Name Foods’ Demand For Palm Oil Leads to Deforestation
Some of the biggest names in food – from Nestle to Proctor & Gamble – are contributing to global warming. As their demand for palm oil grows, so does the need for land on which to grow palm oil plantations in Indonesia, where 7.5 million acres are scheduled for deforestation within the next 10 years. Click this link to read full story.

10) MIT Study Warns That Human-Created Ozone Will Damage Crops
Though higher temperatures help crops grow, the benefit will be negated by the ground-level ozone our emissions are creating. Click this link to read full story.

Jane Goodall was one of many speakers during the Live Earth Concerts. She graced the stage with one of the biggest crowd reactions of the day at the concert in New Jersey (aka, New York):

“I have an indigenous friend in Greenland,” Jane Goodall said, “and he delivered a message to 1,000 people at the United Nations. 'Up in the North, the ice is melting. Up in the North, the ice is melting.' What will it take to melt the ice in the human heart?”

Through her Roots & Shoots program, Jane Goodall does just that – melts the ice in the human heart through earth-saving campaigns led by kids, teens and college students. The mission: “To foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment.”

It all started in 1991 when 16 local teenagers in Tanzania sat down with Jane at her home and shared their concerns about pollution, deforestation and animal welfare. She empowered them with the information to make a difference, and she’s been doing the same ever since through the Roots & Shoots program. There are thousands of Roots & Shoots groups all over the world, including more than 1,900 here in the United States, all organized and led by kids, teens and college students.

Any kid, teen or college student can join Roots & Shoots. They need only visit the website and search for a group near them. If there’s not one close enough, they can start one of their own, with Roots & Shoots providing all the tools necessary to help ensure its success.

Click this link to learn more about Roots & Shoots for the kids you know who want to make difference.

11-6-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 16: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Your utility company may offer "green power," including more than 600 companies in the U.S., as well as many in Canada, Australia and Europe. If yours is one of them, there's just two things you have to do to get it: 1) ask for it, and 2) pay a little extra. It's Essential Skill #16 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook:

Pick your power.

Before you call your utility company to ask about alternative energies, familiarize yourself with the technologies that may be available:

"Your PlayStation doesn't care whether it's juiced by Wyoming coal or a solar panel on the outskirts of Vegas," writes author David de Rothschild. "But you are a beautiful, discerning, and independent-minded energy consumer, and you deserve to connect with a power partner that brings out the best in you."

1) Thousands in US Step It Up with Power Shift
This past weekend, concerned citizens and students in the U.S. rallied for our leaders to take action NOW to stop climate change. Power Shift started Friday, Novmber 2, at the University of Maryland – the first ever youth summit on global warming, with 7,000 college students attending from all over the country. Then, Saturday, November 3, there were rallies in all 50 states attended by thousands of people and those political leaders who accepted our invitations to Step It Up. Then, on Monday, student delegates from Power Shift went to Washington, D.C. to talk with our representatives about 1 Sky initiatives. Click these link for pics and details at StepItUp2007.org and PowerShift07.org.

2) Researchers Discourage Bush from Nuclear Waste Reprocessing, Encourage New Nuclear Power Plants
President Bush wants to reprocess nuclear waste, but researchers say he’d be relying on unproven technology. Unfortunately, these researchers suggest an even more troubling alternative – investing those dollars into building more nuclear power plants. Click this link to read full story.

3) “Green is Universal” at NBC
You’ll be seeing green all week long on NBC, where they have 150 hours of environmentally-themed programming planned November 4-10 – on the “Today” show … “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” … MSNBC … “The Martha Stewart Show” and even NBC’s online network including iVillage’s iGo Green Channel. Best of all, the greening of NBC will continue in the weeks, months and years ahead – from the sustainable design of their new West Coast News Headquarters to the increased use of solar and wind power. Click this link to read full story.

4) California Wildfires Emit 8 Million Tons of Carbon Dioxide
It sounds like a lot, but the 8 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted by California’s recent wildfires represent just one-quarter of the emissions that the state normally creates in just one month. Click this link to read full story.

5) U.S. Mayors Conference On Climate Change: The Greener We Go, The More Green We Get
On November 1-2, more than 100 U.S. mayors gathered together in Seattle to share ideas on how to address climate change in their cities. Of the greening of America, keynote speaker President Bill Clinton said this: “In my view for the United States, it is the greatest economic opportunity we’ve had since we mobilized for World War Two. If we do it right, it will produce job gains and income gains substantially greater than the 1990s.” Cities can play an especially critical role in climate change – though they represent just 2% of the planet, cities produce 75% of our emissions. Click this link to read full story.

6) Countries, U.S. States Form International Carbon Action Partnership
“Just because you don’t see Washington leading on this issue [of climate change] don’t assume that America is shirking its responsibilities.” California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that, whose state is one of many members in the newly formed International Carbon Action Partnership aimed at developing a global cap-and-trade system. Click this link to read full story.

7) New York Wants Big Stores to Recycle Plastic Bags
It takes 12 million barrels of oil to make enough plastic bags to fill the annual demand worldwide. New York wants no part of it. If the proposal is passed into law, big stores like Target and Home Depot will be required to accept plastic bags from their customers for recycling. All bags would also be printed with a request for shoppers: “Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling.” The plastic bags can not only be recycled into new ones, but also used for other plastic products like furniture. Click this link to read full story.

8) U.S. House Wants Mining Companies to Pay Royalties
If it passes the Senate and gets by President Bush, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act will require mining companies to pay royalties on any minerals they mine on public land. The mining companies say it’s going to “kill” the industry, though both oil and gas companies are doing just fine paying similar royalties. Click this link to read full story.

9) Global Survey Suggests Consumers Ready for Carbon Tax
According to 22,000 people in 21 countries, most would accept an increase in energy costs to promote conservation. There’s just one catch, according to the president of GlobeScan, the agency that conducted the poll. “The key requirement is that [they] trust that the resulting tax revenues will be invested in addressing climate change by increasing energy efficiency and developing cleaner fuels.” Click this link to read full story.

10) New Report Reveals Climate Change Health Risks to Australians
One of the scientists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change led a report that outlines the health risks to Australians as the planet warms. Risks range from increased deaths due to heatwaves … to more mosquito-borne infectious diseases … to food poisoning. Click this link to read full story.

1Sky, dedicated to aggregating a massive nationwide movement by communicating a positive vision and a coherent set of national policies that rise to the scale of the climate challenge we are confronting

After last week’s Step It Up event, organizer Bill McKibben sent out an email letting us where all this focus needs to go – 1Sky, a non-profit organization created and supported by the most determined environmental leaders of our time.

1) Mobilize Americans
Let’s create 5 million green jobs conserving 20% of our energy by 2015.

2) Secure Our Future
Let’s cut our carbon emissions 80% by 2050 and 30% by 2020.

3) Transform Our Energy Priorities
Let’s build no new coal plants until they can safely dispose of climate pollution.

If you believe in these 1Sky solutions, join the movement. All it takes is your name and contact information. You can also support the movement, as does Step It Up founder Bill McKibben, Bioneers founder Kenny Ausubel and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Shelia Watt-Cloutier.

To learn more, click this link to 1Sky now.

11-4-07
Did You Step It Up?
Submit your Action Report, and view those of others, including photos of Step It Up events from all over the US. Check it out at StepItUp2007.org.

10-31-07
It's Time To Vote On "60 Seconds To Save the Earth"

Live Earth and Current TV want YOU to pick the winning eco-spots in their "60 Seconds To Save the Earth" contest. George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, Orlando Bloom, Rihanna and other judges chose the semi-finalists. Now it's up to us to pick the winners. The top four will run on Current TV, MySpace's Impact Channel, and be featured in the Alliance for Climate Protection's national campaign. Voting ends on Friday, November 9, so click this link to pick your favorite at Current.com/ecospot.

10-28-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our Top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.

Week 15: Living the Live Earth Pledge
We all have food waste, and most of us have plants. Now it’s time to connect the dots with Essential Skill #15 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook:

Do the worm.

It’s called vermicomposting – the process of worms consuming your fruit and vegetable waste and leaving behind a rich fertilizer for your plants.

"If one million people vermicomposted for a year," writes author David de Rothschild, "82,000 tons of food waste could be turned into fertilizer." So you’re not only cutting down on your contribution to the landfills, but you’re also contributing to the health of your plants.

De Rothschild outlines a five-step process for "doing the worm" at home:

1) Make a worm bin. You can use an 8- to 12-inch deep wood or plastic box, preferably with a hinged lid and definitely with drainage holes in the bottom. As for the size, it depends on how much vegetable waste you create each week – for every pound, you need one-square-foot of surface area.

2) Add bedding. You can shred up newspaper or buy bedding made from coconut fiber.

3) Add worms. You may already have some in your backyard, but you’ll probably need a lot more than you can find on your own – one pound of worms for every square foot of surface area. Find them online or anywhere you can buy them locally.

4) Add garbage. From potato peelings to eggshells to coffee grounds, worms will eat it all – cooked or raw. (What you do NOT want to compost are meat, bones, fat or dairy products.) As for frequency of feeding, anywhere between once a day and once a week is fine. Just bury it in the bedding and the worms will take care of the rest.

5) Harvest your humus. You can take out your vermicast (also known as worm humus or worm manure) every three to six months and feed it too your vegetable garden or houseplants.

For more information about vermicomposting, go to CompostGuide.com.

To comment and/or read previous Essential Skills, click this link to our Living the Live Earth Pledge blog.

Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories

1) California Wildfires Fuel Global Warming Connection
“Lots of people think climate change and the ecological responses are 50 to 100 years away. But it’s not 50 to 100 years away – it’s happening right now in forest ecosystems through fire.”

University of Arizona climate scientist Thomas Swetman said that back in 2006, months before the California wildfires that have ravaged the state for more than a week, burning acreage half the size of Rhode Island.

“The weather we’ve seen this fall may or may not be due to the global warming trend,” adds Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton’s Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy “but it’s certainly a clear picture of what the future is going to look like if we don’t act quickly to cut emissions of the greenhouse gases.” Click this link to read full story.

2) Live Earth Reveals Its Concert Carbon Footprint
After 11 weeks of accounting and auditing, we now know the environmental impact of Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. Taking into account everything from electricity use during the concerts to the travel of concert-goers, the worldwide event on all seven continents generated 19,708 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, well within the goal of Live Earth organizers. The concerts also generated one-tenth of the waste expected – just 97 tons, 81% of which was diverted from landfills through composting and recycling. Click this link to review the full report.

3) Step It Up for the Power Shift November 2-5
This Friday through the following Monday, concerned citizens and students in the U.S. will rally for our leaders to take action NOW to stop climate change.
Power Shift starts Friday, Novmber 2, at the University of Maryland – the first ever youth summit on global warming. Then, on Saturday, November 3, tens of thousands of people (maybe even more this time) will organize in all 50 states, including rallies attended by at least 26 members of Congress and three presidential candidates. The Power Shift conference will continue through Monday when student delegates will go to Washington, D.C. to talk with our representatives about 1Sky1 initiatives. Click these links to learn more about Step It Up and Power Shift.

4) U.N. Cites Beijing’s Progress Toward “Green Olympics”
When Beijing put in its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, it agreed to 20 environmental pledges that the U.N. says they’re getting closer to meeting. Yet pollution is so bad there that there’s still concern, especially for the particulate matter in the air that is 200% above the level considered safe. Click this link to read full story.

5) France Outlines Greener Policies
This week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced eco-friendly plans for the future of his country. They’ll be greening their buildings, encouraging purchases of fuel efficient cars and putting a stop to both genetically modified crops and the construction of new roads and airports, among other changes. Al Gore was there for Sarkozy’s speech, adding afterward, “This is the beginning of an historic process.” Click this link to read full story.

6) White House Accused of “Watering Down” Climate Change Testimony
Physicians for Social Responsibility say the White House edited out critical climate change details from last Tuesday’s testimony delivered to Congress by the head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In addition to cutting the testimony in half, the White House took out many references to the impact of climate change on our health, including the following statement: “CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern.” Click this link to read full story here and here.

7) Carbon Dioxide In Air Exceeding Expectations
“Atmospheric carbon dioxide growth has increased 35 percent faster than expected since 2000,” according to the British Antarctic Survey. The unexpected increase is attributed to inefficient us of fossil fuels. At this rate, the average global temperature could rise 2.7 degrees by 2100. Click this link to read full story.

8) Higher Temps Mean More Extinctions
Of the five major mass extinctions on record, four of them occurred during periods of warmer than average temperatures. And with the Earth’s current warming trend now, new research shows we could be facing the same kind of mass extinction scenario within 100 years. Click this link to read full story.

9) German Leader Acknowledges Global Warming’s Threat to Peace
“There’s a ‘Cold War’ at the North Pole that we have to prevent,” says Germany Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He’s referring to the melting ice that has at least five nations vying for rights to explore the earth underneath for fossil fuels. “The eternal ice is melting before our eyes,” he adds. “Climate change has made exploitation possible where it was thought not possible.” Click this link to read full story.

10) New Report Cites Importance of Shift Toward Renewables
In a new report commissioned by the Chinese and Brazilian governments, energy experts stress the urgency of moving toward renewable fuels. “Lighting the Way – Toward a Sustainable Energy Future” says the top three actions to take include: 1) increasing the efficiency of fossil fuel use, 2) developing economical technology to capture and store carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, and 3) create systems for getting energy from the sun and other renewable sources. Click this link to read full story.

Live Earth Leader of the Week
Step It Up, empowering the grassroots climate movement to take action locally by calling for national change

On April 14, 2007, Step It Up inspired tens of thousands of people to organize and attend 1,400 rallies in all 50 US states, all with the same goal in mind – to demand that our leaders take action to stop climate change.

Now one year before our next presidential election, Step It Up is organizing another day of action this Saturday, November 3rd. Again, there are rallies planned in all 50 states, with each organizer asked to choose a location that commemorates great leaders of the past … to inspire great leaders of the future.

Every member of Congress and presidential candidate has been invited to at least one Step It Up rally. So far, 26 members of Congress have accepted, as well as 3 presidential candidates, including John McCain, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich

In support of the 1 Sky initiatives, Step It Up has three requests of our leaders:

1) Green Jobs Now – 5 million green jobs conserving 20% of energy by 2015

2) Cut Carbon 80% by 2050

3) No New Coal – A moratorium on new coal-fired power plants

Step It Up was founded by Bill McKibben, an author and educator who has been writing about, and advocating for, environmental protection for years.

“Screwing in a lightbulb is important,” writes McKibbin in his letter on the website. “Screwing in a new federal policy to deal with climate change is crucial.”

If you have yet to do so, join an action and invite your leaders now if you want to be part of Step It Up 2: Who’s a Leader? – our National Day of Climate Action on Saturday, November 3, 2007.