DC Clean Cars Hearing

Today, the Committee on Public Works and the Environment in Washington DC held a hearing on the DC Clean Cars Act of 2007 (Bill 17-0099), which went amazingly well.

A solid group of environmentalists, religious groups, DC residents, and representatives from the District Department of the Environment testified in favor of the bill.

The opposition consisted of two representatives from the automotive industry, Gerard Murphy from the Washington Area New Automotive Dealers Association, and Greg Dana from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. And actually, they presented less actual opposition to the bill, but were rather voices of ambivalence. When asked by Jim Graham, the Chair of the Committee on Public Works and Environment, whether they were there in opposition or support of the bill, Mr. Murphy replied that the auto industry was taking neither stance.

This hearing was a solid step in the right direction to getting the Clean Cars Act passed, but that doesn’t mean the fight is over! We must continue to pressure the DC council to act swiftly on this legislation

The Washington Post, My House, and a HUMMER.

GM, proud maker of the Hummer and the biggest contributor to global warming of any auto maker in the world, recently hatched a brilliant idea: Re-publish nine recent Post articles on global warming (including one about my solar home in Takoma Park) and pepper these truthful, serious pieces with deeply deceptive ads promoting GM’s “green” bona fides.

That’s right, this past week GM paid for an entire six-page advertising supplement in the Washington Post. It’s a brilliant PR strategy on GM’s part. They cannot be accused of messing with the facts since they’ve used actual stories written by Post reporters. And coupling their “green” products with authentic pieces of climate reporting lends these products an element of legitimacy.

“Gas-friendly to Gas Free” is their slogan throughout. The five technology / issue areas they discuss are:

  • Fuel Efficiency

  • E85 Ethanol

  • Hybrid

  • Electric

  • Fuel Cell

I won’t get into a blow-by-blow refutation here (for a more in-depth analysis, read A Siegel’s blog post on DailyKos). Suffice it to say that the company has spent millions of dollars, year after year, lobbying Congress against even fractional increases in fuel economy standards. In one spasm of anti-environmental fervor, the company organized rallies all across the country in 2004 featuring company vice presidents trashing efforts to require U.S. vehicles to get just 7.5 more miles to the gallon, a target that would bring America up to China’s automobile standard. And in 2006, afraid that rising gas prices would discourage Hummer sales, the company gave away gasoline stipends to drivers in California and Florida.

This is not the only example of blatant green washing going on this week. This Tuesday ConocoPhillips is holding a “conversation on energy.” Yep, the nation’s third largest oil company wants to know your thoughts on “energy solutions.” ConocoPhillips is holding a series of town hall meetings across the country and one of these meetings is happening right here in Columbia, MD at 6:30 PM tonight. This is a blatant attempt by a major oil company to green wash its record, and it’s happening right in the heart of Maryland! For more info, read the Baltimore Sun blog post about the event.

What can we do to refute this gross green washing? I’ve written a letter to the editor of the Washington Post calling them out on making money on GM’s deeply deceptive ads. And we’ve asked our supporters in and around Columbia, Md. to spend this evening demanding that ConocoPhillips stop destroying our climate and get serious about renewable energy. If you’re in Md., we hope you can make it to the town hall meeting tonight. If not, educate yourself, write letters and do not accept that these companies, some of the worst polluters out there, are even close to doing enough to save our life-giving climate.

Improving learning: Greening Schools, the real payoff

The Washington Post featured a local high school’s green renovation in Titans of Ecology, which began

At the brand-new T.C. Williams High in Alexandria, a modern “green” school, students say the environmentally friendly design has led to a serious lifestyle change: They can’t doze in class anymore because sunlight pours in from practically every angle.

Going green means more attentive students … at least, fewer students napping.This one of those benefits from Going Green, being more environmentally and energy sensitive (aware) when building, that many don’t realize. Putting aside all the environmental benefits (real benefits), being Energy Smart, Environmentally Smart is, well, simply being smart. Continue reading

Forget the light bulbs: Part II

Tidwell responds to scientists responding to Tidwell

The essay below is a response to “The Power of Voluntary Actions,” written by a phalanx of social scientists, which was itself a response to Tidwell’s “Consider Using the N-Word Less.” It ran on Grist on September 21st.

—–

My Sept. 4 essay on the merits of voluntary versus statutory responses to global warming triggered quite a firestorm of debate. Lots of readers agreed with me: All those happy lists in magazines and on web sites — “10 things you can do to save the planet!” — actually trivialize the scale of the problem. We’ll never solve the climate crisis one light bulb at a time. What we need, Continue reading

Stepping It Up to a Second Line in New Orleans

I spent all afternoon at the New Orleans Police Department for climate organizing. I didn’t even get too close to Central Lock-Up so I can’t say I’ve gone to jail for an activist event…yet. I went downtown to the temporary police headquarters that are still housed in trailors because of the flooding during Hurricane Katrina over 2 years ago to apply for parade permits for Step It Up 2. Our event, on Saturday, November 3rd, will be extra special because along with a speaker’s forum and educational presentations, we will have a traditional New Orleans Second Line Parade in the heart of the city. Our main goals for the event are to educate the citizens
and students about the green organizations within the city that promote
clean energy and a more sustainable rebuilding process and to build a
relationship between students and citizens to extend the support network for
all the organizations involved in event. I’m excited to see all the details come together and know the event will be a wonderful success! I just wanted to thank everyone at CCAN and USCEC for all of the inspiration and experience you gave me this summer. This event would not be possible without ya’ll!!
Continue reading

Northwest Passage in the Arctic is open for the first time EVER in recorded history!

The European Space Agency has published satellite images that show that the Northwest Passage in the Arctic is now open for the first time EVER in recorded history. This is due to the unprecedented Arctic melting this year- the current extent is 1 million kilometers below the previous minimum set in 2005. Though the U.N. Panel on Climate Change has predicted that the Arctic may have complete summer melt by 2070, other more recent credible estimates are much sooner- the National Snow and Ice Data Center, recognized as a top authority in Arctic measurements, recently predicted this could occur as early as 2020. The Northwest passage is the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe and has massive trade potential. We have also heard about the implications of all of the oil reserves predicted to be in this area. There are already fears that the opening of this region could cause a cold war between the US and other polar nations, particularly Canada. The President Bush claims that this passage is International Waters, contrary to Canada’s claims. Canada is beefing up military in this region to claim the ownership of the passage and protect its borders from people/drugs/weapons smuggling. And the plight of the polar bears? Let’s not go there. Folks, you can’t debate this. It’s real. Let’s do something about climate change NOW.

Image Credit: European Space Agency: “Envisat ASAR mosaic of the Arctic Ocean for early September 2007, clearly showing the most direct route of the Northwest Pssage open (orange line) and the Northeast passage only partially blocked (blue line). The dark gray colour represents the ice-free areas, while green represents areas with sea ice. “

cross-posted at http://www.local-warming.blogspot.com/

Maryland and Global Warming Solutions

We’ve all heard the story: the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, more hurricanes are on the way, and we’re fast on the road towards catastrophic climate change. So it’s a good thing that Maryland is starting to step up to the plate on enacting significant legislation to cut our carbon emissions.

A Great Blue Heron, one of the many Chesapeake Bay species that could be protected with strong climate legislation

The Global Warming Solutions Act, a call for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland of 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, will come before the Maryland General Assembly this spring. According to The Baltimore Sun‘s Bay & Environment page, this is one of the hottest issues for this spring’s session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Now is the time to make sure Governor O’Malley strongly supports this piece of legislation. And the people showing their strong support is the first step! Keep your eyes open for events coming soon, especially in November, designated a Global Warming Solutions Month of Action.

Dominion Subpoenaed; Reduces Price of CFLs

Here is a shocker, Dominion Power, the energy mogul that is pressing hard to build a new coal fired power plant in Wise, Virginia, is not properly accounting for the financial risks associated with, as a business, refusing to evolve and properly assess reality. Could it be true that a major polluter is acting unscrupulously, profiting off of misleading investors and ignoring the real world? According to the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, maybe. According to the Attorney General, “The increase in [carbon-dioxide] emissions from the operation of this unit [the proposed Wise Co. Plant], in combination with Dominion’s other coal-fired power plants, will subject Dominion to increased financial, regulatory and litigation risks.”

Basically, I read Cuomo’s statement to mean, “hey Dominion, building another coal power plant are you kidding me? You know that legislation to regulate global warming emissions is coming soon, why are you going to build another super polluter? You know you can’t realistically sequester carbon from the plant, don’t even kid yourself. Why don’t you just do something less radical, like start building wind turbines or solar panels or investing in efficiency. Now that would be a plan we could all get behind.”

To help further illustrate my point, I will throw out some fun analogies. Coal is to power production as Asbestos is to insulation — it works, but you don’t want to use it. New coal power is as good an idea as reviving phrenology evaluation to help supplement student applications to college. Okay, that second one wasn’t as good as the first, but you get the point. Let me know if you have any good analogies about coal you want to pass on, I love analogies.

Oh, I try to never get totally negative with my blog posts, so here is the positive. Dominion is helping to offer CFL light bulbs at a discounted rate. That is one small step for man…

"Design for the Other 90%" … a global imperative

“The majority of the
world’s designers
focus all their efforts
on developing products and services
exclusively for the
richest 10% of the world’s customers.

Nothing less than
a revolution in design is needed
to reach the other 90%.”

We focus our resources (time, money) too often on solving problems and doing things for those who already have the resources
leaving out, literally, billions of people from the equation.

Just a few days remain for getting to the Design for the Other 90% exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt museum in New York City … an exhibit that helps show how it does not have to be this way.

Continue reading

Virginia Energy Plan Maintains the Status Quo…

Last week, the Governor ceremoniously unveiled Virginia’s Energy Plan — read the news release or the 180 page report — a plan that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%… Great news, right? Well, I am not so sure… For a scathingly intelligent critique, please see what The Green Miles has to say; he hits the nail right on the head. And see here for CCAN’s press release.

Here is the good:

  • The Governor is talking about climate change

  • We are starting to create the link between social justice, environmentalism, and power production

  • Emphasizes efficiency and conservation

  • There are (weak) goals set to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions.

Here is the bad:

  • Expansion of coal, petroleum and nuclear power production in state. The plan does not challenge the wisdom behind building more fossil fuel and nuclear infrastructure.

  • The greenhouse gas reduction targets proposed in the plan are amazingly weak, especially in comparison to what other states have committed to.

  • The plan does not recommend mandatory renewable energy purchases or a clean cars type of bill.

If you want my quick synthesis, I can sum it up in four words: where are our priorities? If we, as a state, are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, improving our energy efficiency as a state, and conserving energy; then why are we investing in old, dirty technology? The plan does not challenge or even ask for a review of the planned coal fired power plant in Wise Co. Virginia (a 500-600 MW facility that will severely compromise our states ability to make any reductions in greenhouse gas emissions). Why even talk about minimizing your global warming impact in one document if you are going to, in the same document, talk about the benefits of another conventional coal fired power plant? These two statements are not congruent in the least bit.

If we are serious about fighting global warming we need to be serious about renewable energy, conservation and efficiency. These need to be the priority energy actions for the state, not another coal fired power plant.