Lisa Borders for Mayor of Atlanta
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Atlanta has earned its reputation as headquarters of the Dirty South. The city emits more than half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the combined emissions of 150,000 households. Atlanta’s air pollution is one of the worst in the nation. Atlanta residents are projected to run out of water by 2030, and water quality declines every year. Urban sprawl and the need to commute lead to increasing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the city, and our street congestion is among the highest for any metro area. While state and federal governments play the major role in environmental outcomes, local policies and practices can set a tone for citizens that can lead to positive and lasting change. Lisa Borders has the most potential to set the right tone and the right example for a green Atlanta.
Lisa Borders
Lisa is a major advocate for the Atlanta Beltline, an alternative transportation program that will add 22 miles of light-rail transit and 1,200 acres of green space around the city while boosting the local economy. Mayor Shirley Franklin committed the city to reduce its carbon footprint to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012 and to be carbon neutral by 2030, and Lisa will follow through on that commitment. She is also a strong promoter of the Atlanta Sustainable Building Ordinance, which would reduce energy and water use in all city facilities.
Even the Borders campaign office is green. Staff are collecting food and paper waste in compost bins to fertilize gardens around town. There are recycle bins for glass, aluminum and plastic waste, and employees are encouraged to carpool or use MARTA. Just as Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden has inspired all Americans to rethink our food choices, Lisa Borders’ green office practices will challenge all Atlantans to treat our environment better. This is the leadership Atlanta needs and deserves.
Oil and Gas Industry Targeted Van Jones
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Van Jones finally made it to the top of the oil and natural gas industry’s hit list. His success at steering millions of dollars toward green jobs (in both stimulus funding and the House-passed climate bill) threatened a perfect storm for dirty energy.
Van’s brilliant idea was to marry the interests of labor, the environment and social justice. Taking on any one of those groups was a fight the oil and gas industry didn’t want, but a fight against all three was a sure loser. Alternet has the full story, but the short and skinny is that Van had to go. Here’s a breakdown of the takedown:
So let’s understand the stakes here and take heart. We are very close to changing the way we use energy in this country, and some folks can’t see themselves on the other side. That’s why they’re also targeting the Apollo Alliance, led by another “scary big ole black man,” former National Wildlife Federation chairman Jerome Ringo.
The Glenn Becks of the world didn’t wake up the other day and decide to equate green jobs with slavery reparations. They’re being fed this junk in an effort to divorce labor from the environment. You know you’re winning when an opponent resorts to these kinds of tactics. I think they made a big mistake in targeting Van, for two reasons. One, they’ve alerted us all to their weakness and fear and confirmed that we are on the right track. And two, Van is much more dangerous out here with the rest of us.
Our response is simple, and it’s one that honors the genius of Van Jones: We must push as hard as we can for the most progressive climate change legislation we can envision, one that includes green jobs with justice.
Hurricanes are coming! Is gas gouging far behind?
Posted by Wayne X. Young
Although its starting late, the US Hurricane Season is finally here. We are currently getting hit with three at once. Although categorized as tropical depressions first, the intensity may increase to storms and eventually hurricanes.
There are 3 active storms currently being monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Tropical Depression Ana is currently over the Dominican Republic and will possibly make its way to the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday. Tropical Storm Bill is out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and might hit the Mid-Atlantic region (VA, DC, NJ, MD) coastal states in another week or so. Tropical Storm Claudette is scheduled to hit Panama City Monday morning and cross into Alabama and Tennessee.
Already we have seen a 10 cent increase in gasoline prices since last week. Gas prices have jumped 10% or more since the last month. Last year, pipelines and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were severely damaged due to hurricane force winds. Distribution of gasoline was affected. The Southeast faced a gas drought of major proportions because we get our gas from the companies who owned the platforms in the Gulf. Weeks went by with little or no fuel in major cities. And the gasoline that was available nearly reached $6/gallon. Lines were around the block!
Are we prepared to accept another “wave” of gas gouging based on greed and desperation? Have we, the consumer, maintained our vehicles to utilize as little gas as possible? Is your tire pressure up to standards? Are we making less non-essential trips? Have we taken the excess weight out of our vehicles? Be prepared people, because it will get worse before it gets better.
– Wayne X. Young
Your Lifestyle Off The Cliff
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Grist.org has a great piece today on whether American lifestyle changes are needed to address climate change. Apparently, some folx believe we can simply change our light bulbs and drive hybrids, and all will be well! Since some of us would rather let the planet boil than give up our iPods, we should pretend there’s no need to change the way we live. Yeah, like Wile Coyote off the cliff, some of us will get the memo too late.
Social Networks for Green People
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Social networks are popping up everywhere, Facebook-like platforms that let users upload pictures and profile information and connect with other users on a regular basis. There are social networks for everyone from knitters to hikers. Now a few green networks are helping people learn to live more sustainably together. Take a peek at these:
- 2People is focused on democratic action to find and promote solutions to climate change.
- Carbonrally lets you join or form a team and compete to save energy.
- Celsias lets you join projects and actions around the world and keep up with what others are doing on those projects.
- CoolTribe is a great site for connecting with environmentalists of all stripes doing work all over the world.
- GreenWala is the place to find and share great low-tech ways to replace bad habits and lower energy consumption.
- MakeMeSustainable is a joint carbon calculator that lets you suggest energy-saving actions to members of your group and get good suggestions in return.
- WiserEarth is for businesses, nonprofits and regular people who want to combine their efforts on many global projects.
There are tons more, but it’s great to see people connecting on ways to treat the earth better.
The Genius Of Van Jones
Posted by Sonja Ebron
I like simple yet powerful concepts. “Green the Ghetto First” is the clarion call of Van Jones, a brilliant brother some have called the Martin Luther King of the green jobs movement. At this weekend’s State of the Black Union in Los Angeles, he said, “You can’t green the earth without greening the cities, you can’t green the cities without greening the ghetto, and you can’t green the ghetto without giving Pookie a job!” You cannot beat that logic.
Your Life On Energy With WattzOn
Posted by Sonja Ebron
We all want to treat the planet better, but not knowing what to do is a huge barrier. What kind of damage does our lifestyle cause, and where do we start? If this is you, check out this WattzOn primer on the energy impact of common activities:
There are lots of carbon calculators out there, but what makes WattzOn different is crowd-sourcing, letting everyday people contribute to improving a product. WattzOn asks users to measure the energy used in their daily activities so other users can better predict their carbon footprints. It measures the impact of lots of things, like the kind of food you eat, the size of your house, even the taxes you pay.
BusinessWeek called WattzOn the best idea of 2008, and it’s hard to argue. Take the survey and learn how to start powering down your energy-hungry lifestyle. And see if you can beat my results!
Obama Discovers A New Form Of Energy
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Barack Obama will be the first post-peak oil president of the most oil-hungry country on the planet. The Financial Times, London’s best daily, just previewed an International Energy Agency report that estimates global oil production is now falling 9 percent per year. To be clear, excess oil is the ‘capital’ in capitalism, and it no longer exists. We will see capitalist economies (are there any others?) shrink by at least the rate of oil decline, so we are in for a societal transformation much different than the turn of an economic cycle. Economic activity based on carbon (is there any other?) needs to shrink even faster than oil decline. A recent World Wildlife Fund report suggests our globe is warming five times faster than predicted, and the pace is accelerating. Change is necessary to address the twin crises of peak oil and climate change.
Blacks Must Lead On Climate Change
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Black people in the U.S. have a lot to lose from the twin crises of energy decline and climate change. These are global catastrophes that will soon cause massive changes in our lives. We can expect everything from utilities to common household goods to become much more expensive, and new regulations will make everyday activities more difficult. Increases in epidemics and natural disasters will make health insurance and mobility far more important. Our tough economic circumstances and lower access to information will make it harder to adapt to these changes.
Must See: The Story of Stuff
Posted by Sonja Ebron
I’ve always felt that power and natural gas utilities provide more than kilowatts and therms. They provide light, heat, hot water and data transmission (electronics). Likewise, energy is larger than utilities and gasoline. It’s the basis of our whole consumption society, driving everything from fast food to home construction. If you really want to understand how your use of everyday “stuff” affects the energy and environmental chain, take a peek at The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard. It’s 20 minutes long, the most entertaining and informative discussion of these issues I’ve seen, and well worth the time!