Last Sunday, Maryland climate activists wrapped up a series of town halls focusing on the need for comprehensive energy planning in Maryland. The hundreds of attendees strongly supported the passage of legislation intended to make this happen
Avatar: the Problematic Environmental Blockbuster
Below is a blog written by Jenna Garland of the Southern Energy Network. Like her, I had conflicting thoughts after seeing Avatar (as well as a queasy stomach from the intense 3D action). I wonder if people realize that this destruction and greed is happening in our world today. Too bad Avatar didn’t win, I wonder what the director would have said about the film’s message. Joe Letteri, the Visual Effects Supervisor for Avatar, said in his acceptance speech: “To everyone watching, thank you for the great appreciation you’ve shown for our film. And just remember the world we live in is just as amazing as the one we created for you. Thank you.” Our world is amazing. Do people realize it is just as threatened as the world Avatar created?
While visiting my parents recently, my mother treated me to a 3-D showing of Avatar at a theater close to where I grew up. I went in with a fair amount of trepidation. I’ve been following the media coverage of the film, as well as conversations between friends and colleagues who had seen it in the weeks follow its premiere. I was feeling very nervous about the racial dynamics of the film, and though I’d heard many people describe the film as very pro-environment, I wondered how pro-environment a blockbuster movie could be; how much can its themes and messages really challenge the status quo of our fossil fuel-powered society?
After two and a half hours of pure visual spectacle, I left feeling a mix of emotions and with a ton of thoughts running through my mind. I felt angry. I felt very angry.
I felt angry that the Na’vi people needed an American to save them. I felt angry that the Na’vi people needed an American to save them from Americans! I felt angry for the truth at the heart of the action: the single-minded focus on profits over people and the environment, and the price indigenous people have paid for centuries.
The single most impactful moment for me was when the Head of Security, Colonel Quaritch, said Continue reading
UMD for Clean Energy calls for Maryland to set the PACE
As this Grist article recently Continue reading
Get in the Game Senator Mikulski
Here’s a question: If you’re a legislator and you voted to strengthen a particular piece of legislation, and that piece of legislation later came under threat, wouldn’t you make an effort to protect it? The answer seems logical enough, but then again, as we all know, everyday logic doesn’t always apply to the world of politics.
How else would you explain Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski’s failure stand up to protect the Clean Air Act from the attacks that it’s recently come under from the likes of Lisa “Dirty Air” Murkowski? After all, as the Senate’s Legislation and Records site shows, Senator Mikulski voted for the 1990 amendments that strengthened the original 1970 Clean Air Act, ensuring that it had the teeth it needed to really bite into problems like acid rain. But now when opponents of climate action are trying to knock those same teeth out, Mikulski is standing on the sidelines. Continue reading
State legislators represent Commonwealth and leave the science to scientists!
The jury presented its verdict on climate change a long time ago. The science says our climate is changing and the results for Virginia and the planet will be catastrophic. The Supreme Court, the EPA, Virginia’s own Commission on Climate Change and even former President George Bush recognized the consequences of climate change.
Yet, amidst typos and lawsuits, today’s press conference a the state capitol in Richmond was a breath of fresh air. It is refreshing to see 19 members of General Assembly standing up for their constituents and allowing the science to speak for itself. The Science that tells us that Virginia is vulnerable to sea level rise, that the Hampton Roads area is ranked #2 in terms of vulnerability. Number one is New Orleans. These threats are real and Virginia is ready to address them head on.
I applaud Senators McEachin and Northam as well as Delegate McLellan for initiating today’s press conference and the other 16 state legislators that joined them to show their support for the science. Addressing climate change and diversifying our economy here in the Commonwealth is no easy task. It’s going to take forward thinking and leadership from Richmond to embrace our potential. It’s also going to take reasonable investments.
The big thing highlighted in today’s conference is the pure fiscal irresponsibility of our Attorney General’s lawsuit. He wants to slap tax payers with $250,000-$500,000 bill to pursue a frivolous lawsuit against the Federal Government, it’s lawyers and its environmental agency on an issue already decided by the Supreme Court. Given the state of Virginia’s economy this is just not acceptable and I am proud that so many legislators had the courage to stand up for their constituents health, the climate and the well-being of the Commonwealth.
Citizens to Obama: Coal Ash Kills!
I had the pleasure of providing testimony on a citizens conference call to the White House Office of Management Continue reading
Video: Kicking Coal's Ash in Maryland!
From cradle to grave, Maryland’s power is dirty. This dirty energy leads to adverse health and environmental impacts. Maryland has some of the most ambitious environmental laws in the country; now we need your help to make sure that the laws we worked so hard to pass are implemented and enforced!
Smart Energy Super Tuesday
This past Tuesday was a pretty big day for the Smart Energy Now Campaign, our latest legislative effort to assure Maryland’s Clean Energy future.
Over in Annapolis, Delegates Manno and Hecht’s comprehensive energy planning bill, HB 522 had its big hearing before the Economic Matters Committee. The legislation aims to keep the state on track towards its long term clean energy and environmental policy goals by requiring the Maryland Public Service Commission to approach long term energy planning and short term energy decision making in a way that is consistent with those goals. Though it faced predictable opposition from the utilities, and unfortunate and misplaced opposition from the PSC, the bill emerged from the hearing no worse from the wear after receiving a solid series of endorsements in testimony from a variety of allies including the League of Conservation Voters, and the Maryland Energy Administration to name a few.
Overall, the hearing was a good start to bill’s journey through the House, but with a number of legislators still on the fence, there’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure the bill makes it out of committee.
To help with this effort, Grassroots activists gathered at a town hall meeting in Burtonsville Tuesday to demonstrate their support for HB 522 and encourage the support of local Economic Matters Committee members including Delegate Brian Feldman and Herman Taylor. Feldman was a no show, but Taylor sent a representative, Chris Bradbury, who announced the Delegate’s strong support for the bill to enthusiastic applause from the audience. Legislative District 14 Delegate Anne Kaiser also attended to discuss the need for strong clean energy policies in Maryland. Other speakers including me, Gary Skulnik of Clean Currents, and Reuven Walder of EcoBeco engaged the audience in a discussion about ways that we can individually and collectively ensure a clean, affordable and reliable energy economy for Maryland.
The Burtonsville THM was the first of a string of five Smart Energy Now THMs that are taking place throughout Maryland through the first week of March. Other venues include Largo (Prince George’s County) next Tuesday the 23rd, Glen Burnie on March 3rd, and Baltimore and Salsibury on the 7th. The events are so located to build support in the districts of key members of the Economic Matters Committee, including the lynchpin himself Chairman Dereck Davis, who is slated to speak at Tuesday’s meeting in Largo. Chairman Davis’ stance on the bill will be one of the key determining factors of its fate, which makes Tuesday’s town hall a pretty big deal, and the need for a big turnout critical. So if you live in Prince George’s or anywhere nearby, please be sure to RSVP today and drop by Prince George’s Community College on Tuesday at 6:30. If you absolutely can’t make it on Tuesday, you still have three other chances to make a difference in this critical campaign. Jump online to RSVP for a town hall today.
Knock, Knock Senator Webb: Stand up for the Clean Air Act!
Today a group of Virginia climate change activists stopped by Senator Webb’s Falls Church district office to urge him to stand up for the Clean Air Act. Armed with hand-made signs and “Stop CO2” stickers, they talked to his staff about the importance of opposing the Murkowski Amendment. The amendment would block the Clean Air Act’s ability to limit global warming pollution by stripping the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite already hearing from many of his constituents, Senator Webb is still considering supporting this crippling amendment. We delivered almost 100 more comments from clean air supporters today, and we have to keep the pressure on. Don’t wait to add your voice by calling his office today to tell him to stand up to big polluters and protect the Clean Air Act!
Climate and Political Tipping Points
There’s a famous quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” However, according to Wikipedia, it may be that this concept was first expressed by a U.S. labor leader, Nicholas Klein of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, in 1914.
According to a report of the union’s convention that year, Klein said, “And, my friends, in this story you have a history of this entire movement. First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.”
I thought of this insightful and concise set of observations recently in connection with the statements by various members of the 21st century equivalent of the Flat Earth Society about the mid-Atlantic snow storms of February 5-10. I’m referring to people like James Inhofe, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. Their ignorant statements are the latest in a series of efforts by the coal industry, oil companies, their public spokespeople and the climate change deniers Continue reading