It’s Getting Hot In Here

Crossposted from IndiaClimateSolutions

My friends have always called me a bag lady, as I have too many bags on me at any given time (and I have an awful habit of losing at least one!). I just like to have a whole slew of Climate Solutions on my person for any type of situation (who knows when you might need a solar lantern or my own receptacles for food service.) Luckily, as I’m now carrying bags I really believe in, I don’t mind having so many. I’ve starting carrying a purse made of reused plastic bags, pulled from landfills and drains in Ahmedabad, cleaned and woven by women who now have a viable and self-sustaining  livelihood. The rest of our climate solutions are now stuffed into another Darpana bag that we carried across Kerala, showcasing the technology to students and entrepreneurs, hoping to replicate the model here as well, employing more women in sustainable green jobs and getting rid of more toxic plastic waste.

Plastic waste is one of the biggest pollutants to Indian cities, literally choking our cities by clogging rainwater drains causing flooding in the rains, killing cows and other animals that consume them, polluting our streets and parks, and releasing toxic carcinogens when burned after collection.

Of course, there are amazing point source solutions. We’ve been happily distributing Small Steps bags as we travelled across India, small cloth bags woven by women in Tamil Nadu whose families’ livelihoods were destroyed along with the coral reefs and their homes during the tsunami. The bags fit in a pocket or purse so are easy to remember and yet unfold to fit a full weeks’ worth of groceries! Continue reading ‘They Call Me the Bag Lady’

Last month, Campus Progress Deputy Director Erica Williams and Jessy Tolkan, the Executive Director of Energy Action Coalition talked to Bob Woodruff at Planet Green about Powershift 2009, and how youth activism is having a huge impact on the climate movement. Check out the clip here!

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2009
Time: 1:15-2:30 pm (4:30pm at Woodbury, MN)
Place: St. Cloud State University
 St. Cloud, MN, 56301 

Representative Bachmann was barely present at her Cap and Trade event, a lecture from lawyer Chris Horner. No questions were fielded by our representative, whom sat to the side, watching Horner spew lies at her constituents. 

Pre-event Media Release:
St. Cloud, MN – This Thursday, over 60 students from St. Cloud State University  (SCSU) , College of St. Benedict, and St. John’s University (CSB|SJU) will be attending Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Public Forum on Climate Change and Cap and Trade at SCSU to provide their fellow constituents with an alternative viewpoint from the one presented by speaker Chris Horner, a conservative who has repeatedly referred to global warming as “hype.” The students will share information about the real impact of the climate crisis on Minnesotans, and explain how a cap and trade program would help bring much-needed jobs to the state. Bachmann has been a vocal opponent of the President’s cap and trade proposal: in an op-ed published in the Star Tribune on Tuesday, she referred to cap and trade as “cap-and-tax,” and stated that the economy would “suffer” if such a plan was implemented.
 
“As one of Rep. Bachmann’s constituents, I am disappointed by how frighteningly out of touch she is when it comes to the realities of the climate crisis,” said Casey Wojtalewicz a student at CSBC|SJU. “Considering her views, it is no surprise that she has invited Chris Horner, a fellow denier of the science behind climate change, to lead her Public Forum. We thought it was important to debunk the ‘facts’ being presented by this Forum, and provide those in attendance with the truth about climate change and the benefits a green economy would have for Minnesotans. Armed with this information, we can work together to create positive change on climate issues that will contribute to the long-term economic stability of our country.”
 

I will be liveblogging, beginning at 1:15 PM CST.

Continue reading ‘Students Bring Truth to Bachman’s Public Forums; Liveblog + media, links.’

Educators agree that allowing children a recess during the school day gives them a needed break, a chance to socialize and play. We need to make sure that during this Congressional Recess our elected officials don’t get a break from hearing us.

Youth voted in record numbers in November 2008, and we were heard.

We demanded bold federal climate policy in 2009, and we got it.

Congressman Waxman and Congressman Markey have drafted the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, and beginning April 20th, when Congress returns from recess, the negotiations of the bill will begin.

Already, youth across the country are holding meetings during the April Recess with Senators and Representatives to ask for their support on a strong climate bill this year. This is commonly called “getting face time” with elected officials. We need to show them our faces and remind them that this is OUR future on the line.

Let’s remind Congress that we voted. We aren’t taking a break. We want a clean, just energy future.

How? Let’s do a photo petition!

Now, through Earth Day (April 22nd), youth across America will collect thousands of photos of people reminding Congress that they work for us, and in November we voted for a clean energy future. On the first day the ACES bill is heard in Congress, we’ll deliver these photos in the form of a huge photo montage to make sure that we continue to be seen and heard on this important issue. Continue reading ‘Don’t give Congress a Break this Recess!’

Crossposted from IndiaClimateSolutions.com

In a week of travelling through God’s Own Country, the coastal paradise of Kerala, we discovered one of the greenest states of India, the most lush landscape, the most beautiful coasts, with so much at stake. When we spoke about rising sea levels in Trivandrum and Ernakulam, we were not talking about distant lands, we were talking about this auditorium, that student’s home, this fishing communities’ harbors. Students got it. They spoke to us about the rising issues of waste, pollution of waterways, increasing traffic and air pollution, and the increasing temperatures in cities particularly due to tree felling for road widening. Cities have gone from forested areas alongside exquisite coasts to being densely populated concrete jungles alongside waterways that are now often polluted.

Kerala is not just a land of green threats. It is a land of the GreenDream.

Arun and Varun Raj, two unstoppable twins, along with their best friend Vinuju have started GreenDream as an initiative to inspire and engage youth across the state to take action on climate change. In partnership with IEEE, an international engineering institution, they’ve gotten groups started on ten campuses across Kerala, with more than one thousand members across the state, most of whom participated in our Climate Week activities, including trainings on university campuses, visits to solutions, and late night discussions about international climate policy! Continue reading ‘Kerala Wakes Up to the Green Dream’

This just in from Dominique Hazzard, freshman activist extraordinaire.

The Massachusetts General Court passed a resolution today urging federal action to radically transform the nation’s energy infrastructure, repowering America with 100% clean electricity and ending carbon dioxide emissions from electric generation within 10 years!

Here in Massachusetts, members of Massachusetts Power Shift, a state network formed after Power Shift 2007, worked with state Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton) and Representative Frank Smizik (D-Brookline) to craft the resolution, which is believed to be the first of its kind. Rep. Smizik and Sen. Pacheco chair the House and Senate Committees on Global Warming and Climate Change, respectively.

“Last year Massachusetts made history by passing into law the Global Warming Solutions Act, which set economy-wide targets to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050 and up to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020,” said Sen. Pacheco.  “However, there is still so much that must be done at the federal level. I strongly urge Congress to adopt Massachusetts Power Shift’s goal of meeting the nation’s energy needs with 100 percent clean electricity within the next ten years.”

Continue reading ‘Massachusetts First State to Call for Federal Action on Climate’

Nicolas Gomez, second from right, presents a bag of money, the first monetization of the Adaptation Fund to William Agyemang-Bonsu (far right).

Today at the Bonn Climate Change talks a group of students from Gymnasium Marienschule in Euskirchen, Germany, took a step that no nation or organization on this planet has managed to take. In a symbolic gesture they provided the first contribution to the Adaptation Fund! After hearing a presentation by Stuart Scott, (a consultant & trainer with The Climate Project), the students of Marienschule (represented by Britta Börnicke, Jacob Klein, Fabian Beusch, Nicolas Gomez) decided to take matters into their own hands. The students asked for donations from their class and managed to raise €131.09. This bag of cash was then handed in a symbolic gesture to William Agyemang-Bonsu from the Adaptation Fund Board. Despite trillions of dollars being found to bail out the economy, the developed nations of the world have yet to commit any money to the Adaptation Fund.

The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. It is supposed to be financed from the share of proceeds on the clean development mechanism project activities and other sources of funding. However, to date, no other money has been produced for the Adaptation Fund.

Young leaders from across the nation responded to the draft climate and energy legislation released earlier this week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee by vowing to keep the heat on Congress until bold climate and energy policy is passed in 2009.

IL students met with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky on March 27

During the April Congressional recess, young people in more than 200 districts are hosting town hall forums or meetings with their representatives. Youth are calling on Congress to pass bold climate legislation that sets stronger short term emission reduction targets, transitions America to 100% clean energy, creates millions of green jobs, and eliminates loopholes that will allow companies to continue polluting.

One month ago, more than 12,000 young people from every state went to Washington, DC for the historic Power Shift ’09 summit.  On March 2, thousands of this group descended on Capitol Hill to rally, testify, and meet with over 370 Congressional offices.  These activists voiced their support for bold federal energy and climate policy and promised to keep the pressure on to ensure its passage before the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December of 2009.

During the April Congressional recess (April 6-19), in coordination with Energy Action Coalition and Focus the Nation, young people in more than 200 districts and in all 50 states are meeting in-person with their representatives, as well as other elected and business leaders to show support for aspects of the bill they agree with and discuss necessary improvements to vague or inadequate aspects of the bill.

Check out www.powershift09.org and www.focusthenation.org for more info and to find a meeting in your area.

Please use IGHIH to let everyone know about how your meeting/ town hall goes. Take good notes so we all know what your rep had to say about your call for truly bold legislation.

President Obama was in Istanbul, Turkey today at a student roundtable, and entertained a question about climate. Here’s the text of the exchange. What do y’all think?

Q: I’m from the university. I want to ask some questions about climate issue. Yesterday you said that peace in home and peace in world, but to my opinion, firstly the peace should be in nature. For this reason, I wonder that when the USA will sign the Kyoto Protocol.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it’s an excellent question. Is this mic working? It is? Okay. Thank you very much. What was your name?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: As many of you know, I think the science tells us that the planet is getting warmer because of carbon gases that are being sent into the atmosphere. And if we do not take steps soon to deal with it, then you could see an increase of three, four, five degrees, which would have a devastating effect — the oceans would rise; we don’t know what would happen to the beauty of Istanbul if suddenly the seas rise. Changing weather patterns would create extraordinary drought in some regions, floods in others. It could have a devastating effect on human civilization. So we’ve got to take steps to deal with this.
Continue reading ‘Obama Addresses Young People and a Global Climate Deal’

By Teryn Norris & Jesse Jenkins
The Huffington Post

If Democrats want to win on climate policy, they must think fast and move quickly to regain control of the debate. Last week was the opening round of the national climate fight, and the Democratic Congress was nearly knocked out.

It began on Tuesday with the introduction of a major climate bill by Democratic Congressmen Waxman and Markey. The proposal made a fateful choice: it threw out President Obama’s “Apollo” plan for investing $150 billion in clean energy and focused instead on meeting the demands of leading environmental organizations, emphasizing cap and trade regulation and a laundry list of electricity and efficiency standards.

The response to the legislation was swift and harsh, with Republicans deftly maneuvering to secure the political high ground. Senator Thune (R-SD) introduced a budget amendment declaring that any climate legislation should “not increase electricity or gasoline prices,” which quickly passed 89 to 8. Senator Ensign (R-NV) then proposed an amendment stating that climate policy should not result in higher taxes on the middle class, passing unanimously (98-0). These votes effectively put all but a handful of Democratic Senators on the record opposing policies to raise the price of dirty energy — the central purpose of cap and trade regulation at the heart of the Waxman-Markey bill.

What went wrong? The Democratic Congress made a critical mistake in following the direction of leading green groups like Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council. By tossing out Obama’s energy investment plan and focusing on carbon pricing and regulation, Democrats allowed Republicans to quickly and easily frame the entire debate around increased energy prices and economic costs. That’s a fight Republicans take up with relish — and one they will surely win.

Continue reading ‘How Democrats Can Win the Climate Debate’