The Candidates & a New Green Economy

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In the face of the worst economic disaster in American history since the Great Depression — both Barack Obama and John McCain cite their energy policies in their solutions for solving the crisis. Host Mike Tidwell dives into the deep waters of clean energy with two climate activists who don’t see eye to eye on energy policy — Ted Glick, the national coordinator of the US Climate Emergency Council and Joe Romm, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress.

Climate change is creating what’s called global weirding — these odd fluctuations in temperatures and rainfall are making it harder and harder to pinpoint the ‘leaf peak’ in fall foliage. It’s also putting the billion-dollar ‘leaf peeping’ tourism industry in New England at risk. Jake Weltzin is the executive director of the USA National Phenology Network in Tucson, Arizona. Project Budburst is the tracking network that’s using photos from backyard gardeners.

Getting an urgent climate message out to everyone is the goal of the podcast World on Fire. Producer Jay Tomlinson discusses his tricks of the trade in creating a ‘Reader’s Digest’ of climate news.

Download this edition of Earthbeat.

Image used courtesy of Andybvrs via Flickr.

CCAN's First Rap Video

It’s on! The national Power Vote Challenge Week has arrived and young people across the country are taking their Power Vote pledge campaigns to the next level. The Maryland Student Climate Coalition, set a state wide goal of getting 4,400 pledges in one week! Michigan shot back with a challenge of 4,401. Or course, Maryland won’t allow ourselves to be upstaged by Michigan. I think this ridiculous rap video speaks for itself:

Bring it on Michigan! And let’s make it rain PVs across this Nation! Take the challenge today. I would love to see some other states/schools go head-to-head.

Tax Holiday this weekend for Energy Star products

energy starOn the heels of the recent report released by ACEEE that shows that Virginians can reduce electricity demands by 20% in 20 years through efficiency measures, Gov Kaine has announced Virginia’s second annual sales tax holiday on energy efficient products. On Friday and Saturday of this week, Virginians will be exempt from paying sales tax on ENERGY STAR and WaterSense qualified products that cost $2,500 or less.

According to the ACEEE report, all of Virginia’s neighbors besides West Virginia rank higher in energy efficiency investments. Maryland, North Carolina and Washington DC all edge out Virginia, which is currently ranked at 32nd. As one of the most highly educated and wealthiest states in the nation, Virginia can do better. ACEEE recommends that Virginia enact strong policies that set strong targets, reduce peak demand and incentivize efficiency. Policies that have already been tested and proven in states like California, Oregon and Connecticut.

Instead, Virginia is building new, controversial and expensive coal plants like the one in Wise County. While Dominion has already asked for an 18% rate increase this year

Live Stream of MD District 8 Debate

If you missed our very first live streaming event of the candidate forum held between the candidates for Maryland’s 8th congressional district you can now see the full recording here.

Sign up to recieve notices about CCAN’s streaming events



Green Jobs Triumph on the Eastern Shore!

If the success of Saturday’s Green Jobs event in Cambridge was any indication, the future of climate and green energy action on the Eastern Shore is looking very bright, and we should all be very proud of what we accomplished. We got a mayor (Victoria Jackson-Stanley) and a congressional candidate (Frank Kratovil) talking earnestly about the building the green economy; we’ve developed a network of local businesses and activists, and spread our message to the broader Dorchester and Talbot communities with a big write up in the local papers.

But it’s important to remember that Saturday was just the beginning. On September 27th we proved that we can capture the attention of both the media and our local leaders

Will the Credit Crunch Crunch Coal?

In early February 2008, four major Wall Street banks announced a new reticence to finance conventional coal-fired power plants. Their calculus: The federal government is likely to hit utilities with a cap on greenhouse-gas emissions Continue reading

Thank you for a great DC Green Jobs event!

The DC Get Going Go Green Green Jobs Now event that was hosted in Anacostia, Washington DC was great. As a partner of 1 Sky, Green for All, and Al Gore’s We Can Solve it’s, National Day of Action, we were able to educate, encourage and empower DC low-income residents, ex-offenders, faith-based communities as well as uniting a broad range of communities to promote the creation of a strong green economy.

We enjoyed speeches by National leaders such as Van Jones, President of Green for All, local leaders such as Councilmember Mary Cheh, Harriet Tregoing, Director of DC office of Planning, George Hawkins, Director of the DC Department of the Environment, and more. The entire community enjoyed the Green jobs Now rally, free food, Go-Go music, the art contest, free music and service project, where the community cleaned, re-mulched trees, and planted flowers at the Malcolm X Park on Martin Luther King, Jr Avenue and Malcolm X Avenue, Southeast.

Thanks to all of our participants and volunteers, because with out their help and contribution, we will not be able to create a strong green economy, which will help the planet and the people.

The Green Jobs Day of Action in Anacostia was just the beginning. Please feel free to get in touch with Nydria Humphries, the day of action organizer, and the green jobs coordinator for DC.

Nydria Brenda Humphries
Green Jobs Organizer, CCAN and GWIPL
240.396.1981 ext. 9118
nhumphries@gwipl.org

Make Internet History!

UPDATE: We will be posting the live streaming event right here on our blog! So, just come to chesapeakeclimate.org/blog to view the event.

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CCAN is quickly becoming a new media darling. This Thursday, CCAN will be the first group ever in this region to “e-broadcast” a local public event live over the internet. It’s sure to be a CSPAN, can’t-tear-myself-away preview to MD District 8 Candidates. New technology has allowed us to be an online pioneer, bringing you a spirited debate among local candidates who want to be your Congressional representative. So mark your calendar and turn on your computer next Thursday night, Oct. 2nd, at 7 pm to watch us “stream” a candidates forum featuring Democrat Chris Van Hollen, Republican Steve Hudson, Green Party candidate Gordon Clark, and write-in candidate Deborah Vollmer.

Find out more and sign up to get the link>>

Live streaming will be joining our suite of new media capabilities. This past year, we’ve launched:

This is in addition to:

The candidates will be discussing major issues of concern to our region, including global warming and clean energy. You can also attend the debate in person, of course, at the Rockville Library in downtown Rockville.

But if you can’t make it in person, you can enjoy the entire debate from the comfort of your own home. To sign up to watch live on your computer, simply visit:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/423/t/1906/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=45045