Disturbing News - Canadian Ice Shelf Breaks Free

CNN reports that a large ice shelf in northern Canada has broken free and is now a "floating ice island." Warwick Vincent, an expert on Arctic conditions says, "This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years. We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead."

Though I hope that Mr. Vincent is wrong about the rate of warming accelerating, I suspect that he is correct. Time is short - which is why we need to continue our work to reduce the global warming impact of our lifestyles.

You can read the CNN article here.

Holiday Break

Greetings! While 2006 expires its last gasps, I am taking a breather from writing the blog. But do not fear!! I will be back in 2007 with more great information about climate change and global warming and how we can all make small changes to our lifestyles to reduce our impact on the environment.

2007 will be a very exciting year. Many think that the coming year will go down in history as THE year that non-fossil fuel energy sources go mainstream. We will have more opportunities than ever before to choose green alternatives. Very exciting, indeed.

If you have any questions or ideas for future topics, please be sure to post a comment!!!

In the meantime, my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year.

"WorldChanging: A User's Guide For The 21st Century"

If you are waiting for solutions to global warming and climate change to be invented, the wait is over. At least that is what the folks at Worldchanging think. The organization "was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. It's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving. "

To move us all in this direction, the folks at Worldchanging have a website and a book (see below) devoted to providing "tools, models, and ideas for building a bright future." Their content is broken in sections, including:

• Stuff
• Shelter
• Cities
• Communities
• Business
• Politics
• Planet

On the website and in the book, there is information about various topics within each category as well as resources to go to for more information. For example, the Shelter category discusses green remodeling, lighting, going off the grid, furniture and home decor, etc.

"Worldchanging: A User's Guide For The 21st Century" is a virtual encyclopedia of information about anything green. It can either be read from cover to cover or by picking and choosing which topics are relevant.

In the Forward, Al Gore writes, "To build that future, we need a generation of everyday heroes, people who - whatever their walks of life - have the courage to think in fresh ways and to act to meet this planetary crisis head-on. This book belongs in the library of every person who aspires to be part of that generation."

One of the goals of the Sustainable Energy Alliance (SEA) is to recruit people to be part of this generation - the generation that decides to give hope to the future of the planet.

If you visit this website every once in a while or thumb through the book (click to purchase WorldChanging from Amazon.com) every so often, you will learn that you have many options in making your life greener. And this knowledge, I hope, will be the first step toward continuous change!

Five Ways To A Greener Holiday

In a recent newsletter, Co-Op America suggests five ways to "green" your holiday:

1. Make your holiday meals local and organic. Find resources from Local Harvest, the Eat Well Guide, and Co-op America's Good Food Guide.
2. Give green gifts. Search our Green Pages™ for everything on your list, or check out our Real Money article on cool solar gadgets for exciting energy-saving gift ideas. (Or, give loved ones the gift of your time, talents, and affection, and direct your consumer dollars toward those in need.)
3. Use recycled or tree-free gift wrap. Old maps, comics pages, or even festively decorated brown paper bags can be turned into beautiful giftwrap without the waste. Or, consider using reusable gift bags or tree-free/reusable giftwrap, both available in the Green Pages™.
4. Find a sustainable tree. Our Real Money article gives you the low-down on the sustainability of different types of trees, whether live, artificial, or even potted (and re-plantable!).
5. Recycle everything! After the holidays, check out Earth 911's excellent recycling information by searching for area resources in your ZIP code, or by jumping straight to their holiday page for tips on recycling trees, wrapping paper, product packing materials, and other leftovers. (Also, don't forget to recycle your obsolete electronics if you receive new ones as presents. For example, the Rechargable Battery Recycling Corporation, can show you how to recycle power tools, cellular and cordless phones, camcorders, digital cameras, and more, and our Real Money article gives you resources for recycling your old computer.)

I have to admit that we have not done all of these! Though we did buy a compact fluorescent bulb as a gift for each household in our family.

If we each do something to make our holiday just a little greener, we can start to make a real difference.

Green Day Speaks Out About Global Warming

The punk rock group Green Day is teaming up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to get their fans and others active in the fight against global warming. At GreenDayNRDC.com, there are videos from the band discussing their thoughts about climate change and the federal response (or lack thereof). There are also ideas for action, information about how to speak out for action, etc.

You can see the video on YouTube.

Whether you are a fan of Green Day or not, I think that their message is well-spoken and right on target. I hope you'll take a few moments to listen!

How Many Miles On Those Grapes?

Have you ever thought about how many miles your apples have on them? Ever wondered how many pounds of global warming pollution were emitted to deliver your lettuce greens to you in February?

There is a growing movement that suggests that eating foods grown and produced locally has a myriad of benefits, including improved nutrition and less carbon dioxide emissions during transit. The Eat Local Challenge blog has articulated 10 Reasons To Eat Local Food:

• Eating local means more for the local economy.
• Locally grown produce is fresher.
• Local food just plain tastes better.
• Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen.
• Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic.
• Buying local food keeps us in touch with the seasons.
• Buying locally grown food is fodder for a wonderful story.
• Eating local protects us from bio-terrorism.
• Local food translates to more variety.
• Supporting local providers supports responsible land development.

For those people in Maine, the Get Real Maine website has information about where to find local foods.

The next time that you are in the grocery store, take a moment to consider how far your food traveled to get to you. With super-efficient, refrigerated transportation, it is now possible to buy fresh produce grown thousands of miles away - but that doesn't mean that we should... Instead, if we all start choosing foods that are produced as nearby as possible, it will go a long ways toward reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the food industry.

Record Efficiency for PV Solar Cells

Even with the higher cost of solar panels, there are obvious environmental benefits to anyone who can choose to install them on their rooftops. New research suggests that the costs may be coming down.

An article from Renewable Energy Access reports that Spectrolab, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing) has developed a new process to make photovoltaic solar cells with more than double the efficiency of current cells. If commercialized, the 40.7% efficient cells could reduce the installed price to about $3 per kilowatt.

To find out about the incentives available on your state, go to the website for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

To find out more about PV solar cells, see the Wikipedia entry on Photovoltaics.

Web Resource: David Suzuki Foundation

Dr. David Suzuki is well-known in Canada as a scientist, environmentalist, and broadcaster. The David Suzuki Foundation works to "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us." The website contains information about Sustainability, Oceans and Sustainable Fishing, and Climage Change and Clean Energy. Some of the information is Canada-focused, but it is generaly applicable to those in other countries as well.

On the What You Can Do page, there are links for actions that can be taken "At Home" and "At Work," as well as information about living a Carbon Neutral lifestyle.

This looks like a good resource for ideas about how we can make the necessary changes to meet the challenges of global warming and move toward a more sustainable society.

Al Gore on Oprah!

Mr. "Inconvenient Truth" himself was on Oprah this week spreading the word about the dangers of global warming and climate change. Given that when Oprah picks a book for her book club, it immediately becomes a bestseller, we can only hope that having Al Gore showcased on her show will turn on the compact fluorescent lights in the minds of her legions of fans.

You can find information about this at Oprah's website, along with ideas for things that you can do. One of my favorite pages lists how your can combat global warming when you go to the grocery store:

• Instead of regular aluminum foil or plastic wrap, purchase recycled aluminum foil
• Look for items without extensive packaging
• Bring a cloth bag to the grocery store instead of using its plastic bags
• Buy local and organic.

Hopefully, Oprah will help push the message of "An Inconvenient Truth" into the mainstream. If you have not seen the movie, it is out on DVD and can be purchased at Amazon.com.

The Supreme Court Shows How Far We Have To Go...

There is an excellent editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer the summarizes the views of Supreme Court justices when they heard the case brought to them by various states (including Maine) and other organizations to require EPA to regulate CO2 emissions. See my 11/27 blog for more information about this important lawsuit.

The newspaper notes that the opinions of some of the justices are indicative of the opinions of many Americans. "Despite melting glaciers, rising sea levels, disappearing species, and volatile weather, many in America - beginning with President Bush - remain unconvinced. They insist on more conclusive evidence before curbing the greenhouse gases that scientists say are warming the Earth and causing the climate to change."

This is the challenge that we face. But, as each of us continue to make small changes every day - and slowly more and more people wake up to the risks - we will turn the tide. With or without the EPA and the federal government.

Spread the word!!! The more that we all talk about these issues and some of the solutions, the more likely we are to convince someone who is skeptical or doesn't believe that anything can be done.

Turn Off Your Computer!!!

How much energy is wasted - and carbon dioxide emitted - due to business computers being left on overnight? According to an article in The Independent (UK) called "Office workers who leave computers on all night "add to global warming", an equivalent of over 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide - the same as about 120,000 SUVs - is wasted each year in Britain from people leaving computers on overnight.

The article also describes other "ghost power" users - i.e. appliances that use a significant amount of energy even when turned "off". This includes:

• "Dishwashers - Dishwashers left on at the end of their cycle consume 70 per cent of the power used when they are running.
• Television - The average television is left on standby for up to 17.5 hours a day. In 2004, Britain's 62 million television sets consumed about 8 per cent of their energy consumption in standby mode.
• Washing Machines - Washing machines use just under 20 per cent of normal requirement on standby.
• Tumble Dryers - Tumble dryers can use 38 per cent of normal power while waiting at the end of a cycle.
• Lighting - Turning unnecessary lights off would prevent 375,000 tons of CO2 emissions and save £55m in bills. Other appliances with high standby use are cordless telephones, radios, and stereos."

There are many ways that you can help to reduce this amount of wasted energy.

• Set up your Windows XP computer to standby and hibernate to save energy. See this website for instructions.
• Unplug any appliances that are not being used.
• Purchase a power strip that allows you to control computer peripherals (speakers, printers, etc.) so that they automatically turn off when the computer is off. I bought one from SmartHomeUSA.com that has been working well so far.
• Of course, when you are shopping for a new appliance, consider it's energy efficiency and buy EnergyStar whenever possible.

Little by little, we can make small reduction that compound to make significant progress! Aim for solutions that are automatic (like setting up your computer to standby and hibernate!).

Coming To A Reality TV Show Near You

MSNBC reports that Leonardo DiCaprio is working with television producers to air a new reality show that will focus on turning a town "into a “‘green’ utopia of tomorrow.”

“We’re going to take a devastated community and help transform it as a prototype for the future,” Executive producer Craig Piligian said. “At the end of the day, we’re all going to have to change the way we live, the way we burn and use fuel ... We’re trying to show the country and the world by example, town by town by town, how we can change the way we live and fight global warming.”

After watching the members of the town struggle to transform themselves, the show will feature a "call to action" with information about how people can get involved with environmental programs.

I could find no word on whether DiCaprio would make an appearance on the show.

If a network picks this show up, it will be interesting to see if this can get viewership on the scale of "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race." If so, the educational opportunities of this type of show are significant simply due to the number of people that could pay attention to the issue!

Book Review - "Red Sky At Morning"

In Red Sky At Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment , James Gustave Speth essentially does 3 things:

1. He describes the crisis that the earth is facing with climate change.
2. He proposes eight transitions that we need to make if we are to successfully meet this challenge.
3. He proposes different pathways and solutions to making the eight transitions.

The eight transitions that Speth proposes represent significant paradigm shifts:

• Transition 1 - A Stable or Smaller World Population
• Transition 2 - Free of Mass Poverty
• Transition 3 - Environmentally Benign Technologies
• Transition 4 - Environmentally Honest Prices
• Transition 5 - Sustainable Consumption
• Transition 6 - Knowledge and Learning
• Transition 7 - Good Governance
• Transition 8 - Culture and Consciousness

Whether we can make these transitions is difficult to predict. Without a doubt, this is a monumental challenge.

A concept that Speth introduces in the book is JAZZ - the collection of individuals and groups working with no overall coordination to fight global warming. From a 2004 interview on NPR's "Living on Earth" radio program (listen to the MP3 of the interview here), Speth describes JAZZ as follows:

"So, what's happening in our country is really quite extraordinary. Because below the radar, there's real movement at the state level, the city level, at the consumer level, at the individual investor. We have at the beginnings in our country of, I think, a real revolution. The infrastructure is being put in place for a bottom-up movement that can really change things, and eventually it will force the political process to change. So things are beginning to stir, but it's in this realm of JAZZ, it's not in the realm of global governance."

This is exactly what SEA and other organisations around the country are doing. So many of the solutions to this problem will occur when we all take action, change behaviors to use energy more sustainably, and hold governments and companies accountable for their actions and decisions. Speth's quote demonstrates that we are not alone in this effort!

Finally, the last section of "Red Sky," Resources for Citizens, outlines ways that we can begin to address the Eight Transitions. It is available as a pdf for download here.

Start implementing solutions! I encourage you to choose one of the Eight Transitions and do whatever you can to move us all forward!

Another Look At The 13 Tipping Points

The Bangor Daily News has run an Op-Ed by Julia Whitty, the author of the "The Thirteenth Tipping Point" (see my 11/21 blog). "The tipping point on global warming" gives an excellent overview of her longer article that is in Mother Jones Magazine.

A few points to highlight:

• Increasing the visibility of the small changes that people are making may help to change the behaviors of more people. - "[W]e would be inclined to behave as better environmental citizens when we are educated and our individual actions are visible to those around us — a phenomenon known as 'social facilitation.'"
• Once we make up our minds that climate change is a real problem that needs real solutions, we have the ability to change behavior quickly. - "[H]umans can change and change fast. Our hallmark is adaptability."
• The time for action is now. - "We know what to do. We know how to do it. We know the timeline. We are our own tipping point. "

We need to continue to focus on the actions that we can all take - both small and large. Tell your friends and family about the steps that you are taking to reduce your energy-related emissions. If they know that you are taking this risk seriously, they might be more likely to change their own habits!

Supreme Court To Hear Global Warming Case

The Portland Press Herald reports that Maine, along with 11 other states and a variety of environmental groups, will soon be arguing in front of the Supreme Court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide from cars to help fight global warming.

Those against this approach include the federal government, automakers, the American Forest and Paper Association, the American Chemistry Council and the National Association of Manufacturers. Their argument is "no matter how serious a concern global climate change may be, that concern does not justify trying to shoehorn global climate change into a regulatory structure designed and enacted by Congress to address different types of problems."

Rather than try to fix the problem with whatever tools that we have available - in this case the Clean Air Act - they think that we should not do anything at all.

The unfortunate point that this important lawsuit makes all too clear is that there continues to be no leadership on climate change from Washington D.C. Luckily, the leadership is coming from the state and local levels. Rather than leading us to a path of hope and action, the White House and Congress continue to tell us why nothing can be done. It would be interesting to see how much progress the state and local leaders could make with help from Washington D.C.

With a new Democratic majority in Congress, let's hope that this leadership vacuum at the federal level is filled and that real solutions to the challenges of climate change are in our future. In the meantime, we will have to continue to do all that we can at the state and local levels.

For more information about this lawsuit, see the Massachusetts' Attorney General's website.

Book Recommendation: Red Sky At Morning

In Red Sky At Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment , James Gustave Speth essentially does 3 things:

1. He describes the crisis that the earth is facing with climate change.
2. He proposes eight transitions that we need to make if we are to successfully meet this challenge.
3. He proposes different pathways and solutions to making the eight transitions.

The eight transitions that Speth proposes represent significant paradigm shifts:

• Transition 1 - A Stable or Smaller World Population
• Transition 2 - Free of Mass Poverty
• Transition 3 - Environmentally Benign Technologies
• Transition 4 - Environmentally Honest Prices
• Transition 5 - Sustainable Consumption
• Transition 6 - Knowledge and Learning
• Transition 7 - Good Governance
• Transition 8 - Culture and Consciousness

Whether we can make these transitions is difficult to predict. Without a doubt, this is a monumental challenge.

A concept that Speth introduces in the book is JAZZ - the collection of individuals and groups working with no overall coordination to fight global warming. From a 2004 interview on NPR's "Living on Earth" radio program (listen to the MP3 of the interview here), Speth describes JAZZ as follows:

"So, what's happening in our country is really quite extraordinary. Because below the radar, there's real movement at the state level, the city level, at the consumer level, at the individual investor. We have at the beginnings in our country of, I think, a real revolution. The infrastructure is being put in place for a bottom-up movement that can really change things, and eventually it will force the political process to change. So things are beginning to stir, but it's in this realm of JAZZ, it's not in the realm of global governance."

This is exactly what SEA and other organisations around the country are doing. So many of the solutions to this problem will occur when we all take action, change behaviors to use energy more sustainably, and hold governments and companies accountable for their actions and decisions. Speth's quote demonstrates that we are not alone in this effort!

Finally, the last section of "Red Sky," Resources for Citizens, outlines ways that we can begin to address the Eight Transitions. It is available as a pdf for download here.

Start implementing solutions! I encourage you to choose one of the Eight Transitions and do whatever you can to move us all forward!

There's Hope From Washington...

The Washington Post writes that Big Oil is seeing the writing on the wall: "top executives at many of the nation's largest energy companies have accepted the scientific consensus about climate change and see federal regulation to cut greenhouse gas emissions as inevitable."

The article mentions shifts at many of the a few of the top energy companies - Shell, Duke Energy, and even the biggest of them all: "Exxon Mobil Corp., the highest-profile corporate skeptic about global warming, said in September that it was considering ending its funding of a think tank that has sought to cast doubts on climate change." With money starting to dry up, maybe those scientists who argue against global warming will as well.

Maybe the tide is starting to turn and we will see real leadership on this issue coming out of Washington!

Read the article here: Energy Firms Come to Terms With Climate Change

Simple Ideas To Take Action at StopGlobalWarming.org

If you are wondering what actions you can take to reduce your emissions of greenhouse gases, the website at StopGlobalWarming.org has a great list of actions that you can take each day.

My favorites include:

• Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year.
• Use Recycled Paper - Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.
• Buy Products Locally - Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.
• Reduce Garbage - Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

For more ideas, visit the Take Action! website. If we all choose just a couple of these actions, we can start to make measureable progress against global warming.

Bad Economics from the Cato Institute

The recently released Stern Report from the British government recommends that the world invest in addressing global warming now to prevent significant effect on the world economy in the future.

In a report entitled, "Global Warming Insurance is a Bad Buy" by Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren, the Cato Institute counters the Stern Report by asking "why should the relatively poor (us) sacrifice for the relatively rich (our children and grandchildren)?" That's right. Who cares what the world looks like in 100 years, our children and grandchildren are going to be richer than we are?

This ridiculous abdication of responsibility is based on the fact that thanks to the "magic" of compounding economic growth, the Gross Domestic Product Per Capita will grow from $44,403 to $321,684 between now and 2106. "If global warming cuts GDP by 10% a year beginning about 50 years from now, then GDP per capita will be $289,515 in 2106 rather than $321,684. "
This argument is like someone in the 1970's claiming that because the population of 2006 will be richer and can better afford to clean up the environment, there was no need to pass the Clean Air Act or the Clean Water Act or any of the other laws that have cleaned the environment and forced more responsibility upon those who pollute.

Setting aside the morality of leaving our children and grandchildren to deal with the effects of our high-carbon society, the paper also forgets to mention that if you assume a 3.5% inflation rate (about the same as from 1950 to 2005), in 2106, the Per Capita GDP would need to be $1,384,992 for our great grandchildren to enjoy the same standard of living as we enjoy now. So, keeping this in mind, the argument really should be that we need to do something now because future generations will be less able to afford the solutions than we are.

The report ends with the standard stance of those against addressing the problem: "But climate predictions are not certain." Apparently, Taylor and Van Doran are willing to wait until Washington D.C. is under water to take action.

This type of report is the reason why the work of the Sustainable Energy Alliance is so important. Grass-roots groups like SEA leading the charge at the local level is the only way to counter "research" backed by Big Oil and other companies who believe the best solution is the status quo so that they can continue to make lots of money.

If You Can't Install Solar Panels...

Who says that to be green you have to spend thousands of dollars installing solar panels on your roof? Many electricity companies offer green power alternatives. For a few extra dollars per month, all of your energy can be from green power sources like wind, hydro, and photovoltaic. This means that for less than the cost of a daily cup of coffee, with a simple telephone call you can buy green energy without having to mortgage the house to install solar panels on your home.

In Kennebunk, ME, the Village Green program allows customers to purchase 100 kW-hr blocks for only $1 per month. That adds only 1 cent per kW to my energy bill. Our family buys 6 blocks at $6 per month to cover most of our base electrical load.

If you are a customer of Kennebunk Light and Power (which is a non-profit), visit their website (currently under construction) or send an e-mail to sastaz@klpd.org to sign up for this program.
If you are a customer of Central Maine Power or Bangor Hydro, the Maine Energy Investment Corp. has an overview of similar options at their website.

In my opinion, this is the easiest and cheapest way to begin to reduce your "carbon footprint" and help to make a clean, renewable energy future a reality.

Thirteenth Tipping Point

A difficult concept for many to remember about Climate Change is that the changes will not be linear. The systems are too complex. Like the straw that broke the camel's back, we will one day burn that ton of coal that boosts the carbon dioxide concentration over a tipping point.

This article from Mother Jones Magazine points out some of the dangerous tipping that could occur.

Thirteenth Tipping Point by Julia Whitty

In an article in the LA Times, Whitty says:

"Many secretly perceive global warming to be an insoluble problem and respond by circling the family wagons and turning inward. Yet human beings are born with powerful tools for solving this quandary. We have the genetic smarts and the cultural smarts. We have the technological know-how. We even have the inclination."

Whitty in the LA Times

Now is the time to start to act!

Welcome To The Sustainable Energy Alliance

The Sustainable Energy Alliance (SEA) is focused on meeting the challenge posed by Climate Change and Global Warming by making real changes at the local level - in Kennebunk, Maine and other nearby communities. Our focus is based on the wisdom that "the thousand mile journey begins with a single step." Each compact fluorescent bulb... each hybrid car... each solar panel... each windmill... These are all single steps that help combat the huge problem posed by climate chage - and every step helps.

This blog will contain information about climate change and other effects of global warming and what we can all do to reduce the carbon emissions produced by our lifestyles. Please come back often!!

Please join us at www.SEAChangeHappen.org!