Photo Credit: Craig Quirolo/Reef Relief – Sand Key Reef, Florida Keys
Consider this post a love letter of sorts. Last week I was at the Ceres conference where environmentalists, investors and corporations meet to discuss ways to work together to protect the environment. It's always a fascinating gathering – last year Al Gore gave his Inconvenient Truth presentation, the year before Gus Speth told us how dire the state of the world's ecosystem was on day one, on day two, Tim Wirth explained how fixing that was the most exciting work we could do. So this is first a shout out to the folks at Ceres and I'll do a post with more about them as soon as they get the conference videos and transcripts online - again this year they really got me thinking and I'd like to share some of that inspiration with firepups.
But before all that, back to my new love … Step It Up 2007 which was all the talk at Ceres.
You see, Step It Up 2007 began as an idea shared by Bill McKibben and a group of 6 young friends in Vermont. As McKibben described it, they got together and decided to launch a campaign with a website to try to get people to do something about Global Warming on one day – April 14, 2007. They wanted to put the call out to Congress to take action - we must decrease our carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 if we have any chance to save our planet from the worst effects of global warming.
They launched this project with big hopes but no funding or infrastructure or …. just a lot of spirit and smarts and heart.
The outcome – over 1400 events nationwide – big and small – all joining in to Step It Up. Their idea spread virally – across college campuses, through word of mouth, from friend to friend. They gathered supporters and encouraged people to come up with creative ways to let congress know that they wanted action – 80% by 2050.
And the events themselves were amazing:
In New York City, about 1,200 people gathered at the tip of Manhattan for a rally and then spread out in a line across the city's low-lying financial district.
The so-called Sea of People demonstration, in which many participants wore blue and brought such props as scuba equipment and beach balls, was meant to delineate the part of the city that would be submerged if half of the Greenland ice sheet melted, said organizer Ben Jervey.
A group of 1,000 middle school kids spelled out the message in Park Ridge, UT and in Austin, TX the Alpha Phi sorority held an event and said:
"We have approximately 180 members, and we are excited to help cut carbon! We wanted to show that it’s not just hippies who care about global warming! We all care!”
And after their success last month, they're making new plans and asking us all to help move this effort forward. They have a great list of Next Steps that we can all help with and that's another reason I'm cheering this team -their website is a model of how to do it right. From ways to join in to great information on why 80% by 2050 and how we can get there, Step It Up makes makes it easy for us to understand the issue and take action.
So I'm in love – with a great team of organizers who are showing us all how a small group can make a big impact.
As Bill McKibben says on their site:
The best science tells us we have ten years to fundamentally transform our economy and lead the world in the same direction or else, in the words of NASA's Jim Hansen, we will face a "totally different planet," one infinitely sadder and less flourishing.
The recent elections have given us an opening, and polling shows most Americans know there's a problem. But the forces of inertia and business-as-usual are still in control, and only our voices, united and loud, joyful and determined, can change that reality.
I'm hoping that we will all join in – taking up the Step It Up challenge — and taking inspiration from their success to change the realities we talk about together at FDL.
Related posts:
- Liberals Need a 12 Step Program – We Ask Taibbi What We Should Do Next
- “Whew, it’s a good thing George Will has no sense of shame”
- Progressive Groups Target Companies over Their Chamber of Commerce Membership
- Late Night: Brent Bozell Obsessed with Teen Sex, Smutty Tunes
- PA Pres. Abbas to “Step Down”; Was Suppressing Goldstone Worth It?
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Earth first!
I’m liking this post. ;0)
Sweet Jane !!!!!!
SIUN!!
Great to see you on the front page again.
Great post too!
Hi everyone – I really did fall in love with these guys – what great work!
And I’ve spoken to them to make sure we can stay in the loop and participate. It seems they’re FDL fans too!
And how many years have the GOP told us that the idea that Mother Earth is hurting is just a myth?
OK Kiddo – a long time but … as a friend reminds me … we all need to take action. Have we changed our lives to start on the right path?
Hi, Siun!
In spite of and despite the Bush administration, global warming must be addressed and now. Thank you, Sium, for your optimistic, informative post.
siun-great post! i like the idea of delineating what will be underwater……visuals always help to deliver the message……..
ot/
i sent you an email the other day asking for a link to your red crescent charity……couldn’t remember what day you posted it…….want to donate.
Excellent post, Siun, thanks.
I’m planning to do a few posts over the next bit about global warming and what we can do …
it’s such an important issue and we can make a difference.
The Next Steps page at the Step It Up site is really helpful.
dmac – got it, will answer later today – day job got swamped!
But I couldn’t resist a chance to do this one.
Excellent post.
In case you haven’t seen what we are up against in this country, please take the time to view this eyewitness video of the LAPD attack on peaceful protesters on Mayday. They were shooting them in the streets, not just in the park. Innocent men, women, and children – I’m so furious, I can’t stand it. There is conflicting rumors about who these shooters really were – perhaps private contractors, I don’t know. But we need need a change, and we need it now. Watch it here:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4502
Can you guys belive this? I use about twenty gallons of gasoline per week. Yes, I said 20 gallons. I have a natural gas bill of about $30.00 per month and my electricity costs are about $25.00 a month. My water bill is about $20.00 each time I get it. I have a job and live quite well. My house is triple insulated and I use photo-voltaics for part of my energy needs. Life is different here, to be sure, than it was in Cali.
LS @ 14
I saw that…reminded me of Kent State ~ May 4th 1970.
siun
But I couldn’t resist a chance to do this one.
no hurry…..know you are busy, just wanted to point it out so it didn’t get lost in the mail crush that you get…….
would it be better to give to step it up at this time and next time go to red crescent? it’s not much, just a little extra in my budget this month and had said i would donate to red crescent when i could……in memory of the poets.
For those into mutual funds, here is an interesting site: New Alternatives Fund
Here’s another thing that hasn’t changed in forty years. Us hippies used to have “love ins”, just a bunch of hippies and Indians, and there were police riots where they would trap everyone and beat them up. My sister was in one if she is around.
Is there anything as beautiful as a rain forest? Yes. A coral reef. The two most important things for the next president to engage in is a top to bottom change in Middle East policy and protecting Mother Earth. Otherewise, we will not survive.
Siun @ 5
Excellent! RenewableEnergyAccess reports that if we just got our asses in gear, we could have enough renewable energy sources in production to offset projected rise in demand. And that’s with current technology.
Oceans as Wilderness campaign: Synthetic Seas (youtube video)
Oohh, one of my favorite subjects. There is so much possibility out there and it is just beginning. There is enough wind potential in the US to produce most of our power, and the same goes for solar.
BTW, the May issue of Scientific American has an article on “Smart Grids” that may be of interest.
OT
88,000 jobs were added to the economy in April, the smallest number in 2 years. Approximately 180,000 new jobs/month are needed for the economy just to stay where it is. 200,000 are needed for an economic expansion.
Growth in the first quarter of 2007 was 1.3%, the lowest in 4 years.
Wages increased at a rate of 0.2% in April. For the first quarter and extrapolating out for the year, the rate was 3.7%, the slowest in 2 years.
The retail sector was the weakest in job creation in April losing 26,000 jobs. Construction was flat and manufacturing continued its long decline dropping 19,000 jobs.
These are all indications of an economy that has markedly slowed. Compare this to the irrational exuberance of the stock market and you see the fundamental disconnect between a fairly depressing reality and a speculative fantasy.
Thanks, Siun — I’ve bookmarked their website for perusal later. Looks like they’ve got the globally/locally/Congressionally bases covered really well.
Hugh @ 24
Aren’t these stock market record highs simply capital flight from real estate and mortgage securities? Is there any news about corporate performance to justify these records?
As G. Carlin Said,
“The earth’s not goin’ anywhere….WE ARE!!!
Siun @ 12
I fully support FDL getting involved in this issue-there are many things we can do as private citizens that would make a huge difference. Policy’s important, but individual behavior is, too.
When deciding on my choice for the Democratic nominee for president, two things will be crucial. The candidate’s plan for no more wars… and… what to do about ‘warming’.
I am a few days away from leaving for the season.
I’m building a small sustainable timber frame and will be off-grid, mostly, until next winter. I’ll be doing doing my best to create a sustainable reality and will try try to keep tuned into the fire-pups are doing.
Thanks for the post Siun. I’ll look into the Step It Up.
Where does Hillary stand on global warming? I honestly don’t know.
There is such a disconnect between the behavior of the stock market and the reality of people’s lives on the ground that something is going to have to break soon — something akin to the Great Depression. But there is much hope on the other side, after some fundamental cultural changes in what is considered “the good life.”
LS @ 14
They should have LARGE numbers on them.
God knows I care about global warming. But how is this country ever going to do anything about it without research and development? And where will we get the funds for that if we continue to pump billions of dollars into an immoral war and running around trying to start other wars in the Middle East?
Okay, okay, I know. We need a Dem president for starters. Impeachment wouldn’t hurt either.
Just think about the jobs the R&D would create and then more jobs created through manufacturing the new technology, which should be done right here in the US, of course.
We have got to get somebody at the helm who really understands what we are up against, who gets the big picture (foreign policy/trade/unemployment/health care/environment – it’s all related and it all can be fixed with a little compassion for the little people and a lot less greed, not just ours, but worldwide, IMHO). I wonder why it takes so much guts for a candidate to translate that into something everyone can relate to.
OK Kiddo – I’m going to be checking with each campaign on their positions. Edwards has endorsed 80% by 2050 – so I hope to find out where they all stand.
woops, left out immigration!!
This one goes, unfortunately, in just the opposite direction from Siun’s wonderfully optomistic post:
http://www.opednews.com/maxwri….._gonna.htm
This one’s for the blind who will not see; the deaf who will not hear; for all the thugs……….but it is also a call to arms to join the fight for the things the family of the Lake holds most dear.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 31
She’s all for it…or against it. What day is it? What city is she in?
Previous post 115 Mandrake
Matthew’s obsession with making fun of Hillary and Bill is ridiculous. If Matthews actually addressed issues that Hillary and Bill have been working on instead of making it so personal I would have more respect, but he does not.
Matthews is often referring to the way Hillary looks or that she is not ‘warm and cozy”. He is always bringing up “can Bill be trusted”. Hey Matthews you are channeling the little stupid meathead in you that has yet to grow up. Focus on the issues!
I do appreciate that Matthews has been one of the only MSMer’s who consistently(for 4 years) been challenging the repeated and unsubstantiated claims about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, that the “cakewalk in Iraq” zealots have been able to repeat via the MSm the last four years.
Bill Moyers PLEASE PLEASE do an investigative piece NOW on why 70% of Americans believe that Iran has nuclear weapons not in 2 years after the Bush administration pre-emptively strikes Iran. This belief did not come to be via osmosis. Deja Vu folks!
HINDSIGHT IS DEADLY!
Hmm, is this guy on the DC Madam’s list?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..iser_exits
“Crouch, 48, said he’s been thinking for months about leaving his job as deputy to the president’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley.”
“For months.” Of course.
Please excuse the OT.
tw3k @ 33
I suspect….Blackwater
Link to the American Wind Energy Association, FYI.
American Wind Energy Association
Don’t miss also the link to Ceres – there’s great info there on important work with investors and companies.
Mandrake @ 34
Can you say “velcro”?
The spinoffs from the 1960s space program fill our homes, starting with velcro and including anything electronic and miniaturized.
The list of things that grew out of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo is very, very long.
sofistic @ 31
Sometimes I wonder if this could be the positive side of the Bush presidency. That some actual good could come out of the American people seeing the raw face of greed and repudiating it, if not for reasons of morality, then because it not only does not serve them, it robs them. That there may be an awakening of some sorts. That the party of greed and corporate domination will be repudiated and weakened by their own arrogance and we can drive a silver stake through it’s heart and bury it for at least 100 years (take that, Rove).
Mandrake @ 34
w3rd
Siun @ 35
Edwards, joined by Obama, has also asked the networks to make publicly available via creative commons license, the footage from presidential debates once aired.
Peterr @ 43
That wasn’t exactly my point but wow, those were the days.
PW@21 (don’t want to bust the margins this early in the day!)…
Your link is exactly right: there are realistic goals that each state and community can set include. Reduce projected increases in energy demand through BOTH energy efficiency and renewable energy. It can be done people!!! With today’s technologies. I work in this business every single day.
The reality is, plug load is going up, even though our appliances are more efficient. So, we’ve got to get out in front of this wave. I doubt that many of us are going to give up our toys. OK, then we must do things to offset the electricity and fuel they use. And a realistic goal is to stop the increase in demand. I realize it may not be fast enough for some, but it’s a good, realistic start. We’ve got to take an integrated approach…
Whew… /rant. (Siun, I’ve always wanted to go to a Ceres event…I’ll try to get to one now after your report…)
mc @ 40
WaPoO chatz today:
Not sure I follow Mike’s logic here. I can’t understand why anyone would resign this week, if their resignation was unrelated to DCMadam.
oops, please ignore my typos. I’m multi-tasking on a Friday! (work/fdl/work/fdl…)
There is an experiment going on right now to tap the energy of waves in the ocean. I will provide a link below the snippet.
As an aside there is a picture of a Mill in the article mentioning reviving the substation to transfer the electricity.
I briefly worked there once when they were rebuilding the boiler. It is about 25 miles north of Coos Bay Or. , where I grew up.
http://oregonstate.edu/terra/2…..power.html
Peterr @ 44
We’re having this discussion because of the space program-from the behemoth mainframes at NASA in the 1960s came the laptops and blackberries on which we’re conversing at this very moment.
I noticed this piece of information buried in the AP article about $3 Gas:
ALARM BELLS
Government officials have expressed concern about summer gasoline prices, but added they had no plans to temporarily relax environmental regulations to ease supply problems.
But AAA said rising prices highlights the need for government to take a closer look at energy policies.
“Today, we have $3.00 a gallon gasoline for the third time in the last three years. Alarm bells ought to be going off in the offices of every member of Congress and among the presidential candidates,” said Sundstrom.
“We simply have to increase our ability to refine gasoline, we need a much more aggressive conservation program, we need to improve our ability to store gasoline on an emergency basis.”
I wonder why this information was buried at the end of the article? Link Here
Thanks for this post, Siun. I think this is the biggest challenge and threat facing the world. There is no time for head in the sand.
I’m glad to see a group of Vermonters leading the way. I’ve been trying make more changes immediately in my life; and I’m looking around at ways I can join in locally. I know there are a lot of alternative energy conversations being had right now – wind power is a big issue here (in VT) – and last fall there was a great deal of discussion about whether people would accept wind generators – think large wind mills – on many of our mountain ridges.
In addition, the State of Vt is in trial right now, to defend our proposed caps on CO2 emmissions – the goal is 30 percent reduction by 2016. The auto makers have had their day in court already, moaning that they can’t possibly meet this requirement, and that they will not be able to sell cars and reap profits in Vermont if this is passed. It’s going to be a big hardship on car manufacturers.
And I’m thinking, and this weighs against devasting irreversible hard to the entire planet in what way?
Kathleen @ 38
70%!! Good heavens! That is scary but also not surprising considering the media never talks about our “nuclear hypocrisy.” I think it would also be helpful for the American public to be aware of the size of our own nuclear arsenal and also Isreal’s and our fickle attitude regarding the NNPT (see Pakistan, India, Iran).
The Compressed Air Car.
Here is a link to a comparison chart showing megawatts percapita of wind energy production. Scroll down to the table. The percapita data are in the far right column.
International wind energy percapita, selected countries
Teddy @ 9:37 -
ThinkProgress has recently posted a brief comment about Mr. Crouch’s resignation:
Bush’s point man for escalation plan resigns
Yahoo! has more information available by clicking on this link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..iser_exits
Bustednuckles @ 52
San Francisco is putting $150K into a study of harnessing the tidal flows in and out of the SF Bay. From the SF Chronicle last September:
(Not that there’s anything wrong with science fiction, of course.)
I read something that I thought was sort of harsh and startling, and which typifies that right to the gut straight forwardness of kids that I admire:
This from the letters to editor section of my son’s skateboarding magazine: this male reader writes:
And he goes on to make his point that he objects to any skateboarding ad that portrays an SUV as cool.
TeddySanFran @ 26
There may be some flight but in these things somebody has got to be left holding the bag. And I don’t think there are many Greater Fools out there to dump the housing fiasco on. My own view is that there is a lot of money sloshing around out there from higher corporate profits and lower taxes on the wealthy so they bid the market up with out any real regard for the fundamentals of the economy itself.
punaise (if you’re still here):
Did you see my comment to you about Sunday in the last thread?
Lou Costello @ 57
Thanks for that link. I had heard of them but forgot and never looked into them.
Pretty cool stuff.
BTW, Trex is upstairs.
Here’s an excerpt from an excellent overview of the ‘vanishing bee syndrome’/CCD situation, which also touches on the state of health of non-honeybee pollinators:
Http://www.gnn.tv/articles/306…..t_the_bees
[Link courtesy of JCrowley at DU]
Hugh @ 62
The value of the dollar and real wages is tanking so the index ‘number’ is not really worth what it used to be.
And they’re printing Monopoly money and not reporting it…The $100 is the new $20. The Dow is Crashing w/charts.
tw3k at 30
I’m building a small sustainable timber frame and will be off-grid, mostly, until next winter. I’ll be doing doing my best to create a sustainable reality and will try try to keep tuned into the fire-pups are doing.
Thanks for the post Siun. I’ll look into the Step It Up.
in what state are you building?good luck, and don’t forget to wear safety glasses while working………and great pics, love the bird sculpture, the payne’s grey sky-my favorite watercolor color with alizarin, and great self-portrait…….good fortune to you!
Bustednuckles @ 52
EPU’d I know, but the folks in Hawaii were doing this sort of R&D when I was there 25 years ago. Called it OTEC – Ocean Thermal Energy Currents.
IrishJim @ 54
I have come to the conclusion that politicians do not understand even the simplest basics of energy markets. As a result oil companies can pretty much rob us blind with out any negative consequences from lawmakers.
Biodun @ 63
kind of rings a bell… should I be worried? :~)
LS: I was listening to someone who works at the LAPD talking abou this. They were saying that there were trained agitators there (possible) and that it was quiet at the other side of the park. I figure what’s going on is three wrongs: the people who threw rocks and bottles at the police and buses (and may or may not have been agitators); the police, who overreacted when they went immediately to use of force; and the TV camera crews, who put a lot of effort into making it a big story (and who have in the past been accused of inciting action as a means of improving ratings). Today’s report is that a lot of officers had been pulled away from that area because it had been quiet until then.
The good thing is that the police chief came out immediately and said it was wrong and would be investigated – by the FBI.
Lou Costello @ 67
Well, you won’t get an argument from me. It’s just another aspect of the house of cards.
carolyn urban @ 60
And he goes on to make his point that he objects to any skateboarding ad that portrays an SUV as cool.
It’s good to know that some of them do “get it.”
Biodun – OK, I get it now.
thanks for the link, I’ll check it out. Sarkozy leads comfortably in all polls, unfortunately. Doesn’t look good for Segolene.
P J Evans @ 72
A few minor provocations just can not be in any way, shape, or form a justification for a police riot. And what do TV cameras have to do with anything? They weren’t inciting a riot but recording its effects. If the police can’t behave in a professional manner maybe they should doff their uniforms and join a gang.
Here’s something that’s an easy way to be green: BOYCOTT all KIMBERLY CLARK products, particulary KLEENEX; also Scott and Viva paper products; and the list includes Cottenell, Depends, Goodnights, Huggies, Pullups and Poise. Kimberly Clark boasts on its website that it uses no recycled paper fiber for it’s Kleenex products:
And they’re clearcutting Old growth Boreal forests for throw away tissues. Greenpeace has taken them on, and this group Kleercut.
Make another choice: there’s Seventh Generation and also Marcal products prominently display recycled paper fiber on their packaging.
I’m on a stealth campaign (shh) of having BOYCOTT signs on post it notes, and every time I go into a supermarket, I intend to post these by the Kimberly Clark products with brief explanation why and other options to buy.
Hugh @ 70
I share your frustration. No matter how much conservationism takes place, if the markets are being manipulated it makes no difference. There is plenty of Oil available. The issue being raised now is not enough refinery capacity. Duh, this issue was raised in 2005. There could have been additional capacity online by now if we had policymakers who cared about this. I am tired of paying Republicans higher taxes through the guise of market economics. The Tax and Spend conservatives. The difference is the elite are getting the tax dollars instead of Uncle Sam.
Typical Glenn Bleck: Global warming special dominated by industry-funded “experts,” serial misinformers. LINK
dmac @ 68
in what state are you building?good luck, and don’t forget to wear safety glasses while working………and great pics, love the bird sculpture, the payne’s grey sky-my favorite watercolor color with alizarin, and great self-portrait…….good fortune to you!
Thx :) I’m in Forest County PA. Kinda odd because my first name is Forest.
I have tons of clay and sticks to do some wattle and daub.
Now I just have to get over my FDL addiction :)
Hugh @ 70
I have come to the conclusion that politicians do not understand even the simplest basics of energy markets. As a result oil companies can pretty much rob us blind with out any negative consequences from lawmakers.
lmao, no sh?t! let alone the physical properties of houseing structures.
Martha – if you pop back, send me an email sometime and we can compare notes since it’s my field as well. (email on About page for FDL)
t3
I have tons of clay and sticks to do some wattle and daub.
Now I just have to get over my FDL addiction :)
big mudpies with sticks!!!!!!!!!
i know someone who did a straw bale house.
i looked up forest county on a map–it’s in the forest!
my grandmother grew up in tyrone, pennsylvania. grandfather was from lancaster county.
and as for the fdl addiction–there’s always the public library, even though it didn’t look like there’s too many towns in forest county, there’s gotta be a library somewhere when you need a fdl fix.
good luck to you.