tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81221767315124872102024-02-07T03:25:44.239-05:00Eco-Justice BlogA blog about environmental issues (especially climate change) with a special focus on the response by religious communities to environmental issues.Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.comBlogger669125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-48928969695311068332009-11-24T14:42:00.004-05:002009-11-24T14:48:01.235-05:00Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOpVFjIuCyUWplG3tT1VVbIGDCRZNy-T0fn03YOfy8x9S2OUxO8UpbLrd1eVZhP-wEhs2G4zUoaOff_it6o5VM5Ov4VhSVki_A5NP0FaNU07s6JczZ3-g9sZOf2pkEmhOJ72e0HCAPouW/s1600/produce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOpVFjIuCyUWplG3tT1VVbIGDCRZNy-T0fn03YOfy8x9S2OUxO8UpbLrd1eVZhP-wEhs2G4zUoaOff_it6o5VM5Ov4VhSVki_A5NP0FaNU07s6JczZ3-g9sZOf2pkEmhOJ72e0HCAPouW/s400/produce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407759252258042098" border="0" /></a><br />Whether you are planning a meat-free Thanksgiving or just want to supplement your meal with healthy and vegetarian-friendly side dishes, this <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/recipes-for-a-vegan-thanksgiving/">New York Times feature</a> (recipes included) should help you plan your menu.<br /><p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); text-align: left;">While cooking without butter, cheese, eggs or milk may sound like an impossible feat at Thanksgiving time, some cooks may enjoy the challenge. Jason Wyrick, a Phoenix chef who specializes in vegan cooking, offers two delicious recipes — a mushroom roulade and a gnocchi with pumpkin sauce — that are likely to tempt everyone at your holiday table, whether they are meat eaters, vegetarians or vegans.</p> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Mr. Wyrick, 36, who learned at age 28 that he had Type 2 diabetes, says he was able to reverse his diabetes by following a low-fat, vegan diet. He publishes the online magazine <a href="http://www.veganculinaryexperience.com/">Vegan Culinary Experience.</a> He notes that the mushroom roulade recipe requires several steps and can be time consuming, so he prepares the marinade for the mushrooms early in the day. </p> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">“It is well worth the wait, especially when I have guests,” he said. “The nothing-else-exists looks of culinary ecstasy on their faces reminds me why I became a chef.”</p>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-57238741349468028412009-11-24T09:02:00.004-05:002009-11-24T09:10:07.918-05:00How Green Was My Turkey?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJWPddl9eFsEYBnwE5bVrJU63qcPPIaaJ6LRCHPsYNyUp3l-f79EOcDpQM6tSXzqkK3cgBm7ZPzDTEUyEQLoqaLj1uK95h9txBhDbNud5LXkl4-iOR5mkrv3BEhPg0TfxgsXLYKzvcqA4/s1600/turkey+green.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJWPddl9eFsEYBnwE5bVrJU63qcPPIaaJ6LRCHPsYNyUp3l-f79EOcDpQM6tSXzqkK3cgBm7ZPzDTEUyEQLoqaLj1uK95h9txBhDbNud5LXkl4-iOR5mkrv3BEhPg0TfxgsXLYKzvcqA4/s400/turkey+green.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407672160432483602" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2236489/">Slate's Green Lantern</a> column tackles the question of what makes a bird eco-friendly. The discussion is pretty involved, and includes questions of local vs. organic. Here's an excerpt:<br /><p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Organic turkeys, which haven't been given antibiotics, are a popular choice among green-minded consumers such as yourself (though apparently more due to <a href="http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=4131" target="_blank">the potential health implications</a> than anything else). There is certainly a <a href="http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2007/organic_111307.htm" target="_blank">growing body of evidence</a> that organic farming techniques may increase agricultural yields over the long haul, by maintaining soil and water quality. However, these findings apply primarily to crops, rather than animals. And you'll have to pay a significant premium to go organic: When shopping for his bird this past weekend, the Lantern was disappointed to find organic turkeys going for at least a dollar more per pound than their Grade A counterparts. (<strong><em>Slate</em></strong>'s own Sara Dickerman discovered a few years back that the extra cost <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2091593/">doesn't necessarily translate</a> into a tastier turkey.)</p><p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">If cash-flow problems put organic turkeys just outside your reach this November, you can still green your festivities by breaking slightly with tradition: Instead of serving turkey, serve a couple of nice chickens. According to a <a href="http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Aug97/livestock.hrs.html" target="_blank">landmark Cornell University study</a> from 10 years ago, it take 13 units of fossil fuel to produce a single unit of turkey protein; for broiler chickens, on the other hand, the ratio is a mere 4:1.</p>Whatever you end up eating, have a great holiday!Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-56577023841390924322009-11-23T09:02:00.003-05:002009-11-23T09:34:21.274-05:00Greening the Holidays--Regifting?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_ydtCawYANpoFc5JiSWHwttem1MvOwfNekScry2ap7cr25iftaw8T9dDmUFSS_rmt4wAfBIkGSNUsZ5b87_gX_zaMAuPlbAMEY8gwiiBq3Tag59RX2Bu74vrXGKQgxCMOeG4aVEKPnX6/s1600/gift2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_ydtCawYANpoFc5JiSWHwttem1MvOwfNekScry2ap7cr25iftaw8T9dDmUFSS_rmt4wAfBIkGSNUsZ5b87_gX_zaMAuPlbAMEY8gwiiBq3Tag59RX2Bu74vrXGKQgxCMOeG4aVEKPnX6/s400/gift2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407306335763284306" border="0" /></a><br />Jodi Newbern, the author of <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Regifting-Revival/Jodi-Newbern/e/9780981546292/?itm=1&USRI=regifting+revival" target="_blank">Regifting Revival: A Guide to Reusing Gifts Graciously,</a> claims that re-gifting doesn't have to be tacky:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Regifting not only helps preserve your wallet and the environment, but – if you do it right – your friendships. Here are eight last-minute gift ideas you can find around the house that your friends won't find tacky.<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Read more</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> about re-gifting and get re-gifting suggestions in this<a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/regifting-synd?src=rss"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Green</span></span></a></span></span><a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/regifting-synd?src=rss"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">article</span></span></a><a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/regifting-synd?src=rss"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">.<br /></span></span></a><div id="TixyyLink" style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div id="TixyyLink" style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /><br /></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-5746457313432903902009-11-20T13:50:00.004-05:002009-11-20T14:02:52.115-05:00Environment a Focus of Parliament of World's Religions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE4bTn55C8PXuLAPnV1Fyrv2OwjbZkQ9Ck5CIXo5hcQhPowknDHTJ2xZiUbNa0Vn2Q2p-3WmstDwwn2lAokidkJr-S81msmXZyXJnhwtiOY78GHyqpM3KEKQAMQ-57WBN4xU9vGLZckPB/s1600/parliament-worlds-religions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE4bTn55C8PXuLAPnV1Fyrv2OwjbZkQ9Ck5CIXo5hcQhPowknDHTJ2xZiUbNa0Vn2Q2p-3WmstDwwn2lAokidkJr-S81msmXZyXJnhwtiOY78GHyqpM3KEKQAMQ-57WBN4xU9vGLZckPB/s400/parliament-worlds-religions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406263287706828258" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/index.cfm">The Parliament of the World's Religions </a>will include several environmental themes in their meeting in Melbourne, Australia, December 3-9, 2009. The complete list of subthemes for the meeting include:<br /><strong> Healing the Earth with Care and Concern<br /> Indigenous Peoples<br /> Overcoming Poverty in an Unequal World<br /> Securing Food and Water for All People<br /> Building Peace in the Pursuit of Justice<br /> Creating Social Cohesion in Village and City<br /> Sharing Wisdom in the Search for Inner Peace</strong><br />Begun in 1893 and designed to promote peacemaking and Interreligious understanding, the Parliament will next meet in 2014 and is currently looking for a meeting site. Learn more at their <a href="http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/index.cfm?n=1&sn=1">website.</a>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-62777341963283462232009-11-20T13:44:00.003-05:002009-11-20T14:05:55.510-05:00Eco-Justice Blog is back in business!I began this blog in 2006 while I was working for <a href="http://www.irejn.org/">IREJN, the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network</a>. I left that job in 2008 and ceased blogging, but have continued to receive comments on the blog since that time, so I have decided to resume this blog as an independent environmental blog.Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-49792956256347704512008-08-20T09:41:00.003-05:002008-08-20T09:43:39.329-05:00Furnace Rebates In CTNew Hotline Allows Residents to Take Advantage of Furnace Rebates<br />Call 1-866-940-4676 to request rebate application materials<br />Consider replacing your home furnaces before this winter's heating season to take advantage of a new state rebate program created by the General Assembly in 2007. Under the program, Connecticut families with household incomes up to approximately $100,000 can receive a $500 rebate toward the purchase of a new, energy efficient furnace or boiler for their home. Families earning up to $200,000 may also be eligible for smaller rebates. "Most homeowners don't consider replacing their furnace unless it breaks down," said Senator Duff. "But the reality is that replacing an inefficient furnace can help save hundreds of dollars on energy costs, especially during the winter heating season. This program is designed to make it easier for middle-income families to replace their old furnace or boiler with one that meets a higher efficiency standard."Senator Duff added, "With projected prices for heating oil this winter expected to be around $5 per gallon, it's important that we do all we can to be prevent what could be a crisis for many Connecticut families. I'd expect the demand for this rebate program to be very high over the next few months, and I urge all of my qualifying constituents to take advantage of this opportunity very quickly."Forms and instructions for applying for the rebates will be available from the state Office of Policy and Management within two weeks. However, interested residents can begin immediately calling toll-free 1-800-940-4676 to request the forms, which will be mailed to home addresses. The rebates are available for qualifying furnaces and boilers installed any time after July 1, 2007. Yesterday, the State Bond Commission approved $5 million to fund the program, which is expected to help about 100,000 middle-income Connecticut families this year.<br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><br /><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-47310698042676152642008-08-20T09:38:00.001-05:002008-08-20T09:39:53.159-05:00Seminar on Bio-Fuels/Heating Alternatives in CTSeminar on biofuels and other alternatives for home heating!<br />The Solar Energy Association of Connecticut announces a seminar on biofuels on Saturday, August 30 at 2 PM. It will take place at Flamig Farm, 7 Shingle Mill Rd in West Simsbury. Please register by calling 860 233 5684 <a href="http://www.solarenergyofct.org/" target="_blank">www.solarenergyofct.org</a><br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><br /><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-67890983886556772792008-08-20T08:33:00.004-05:002008-08-20T08:37:29.393-05:00Greening Connecticut Cities and TownsGreen Goals for Buildings in our Communities:<br />A Program for Connecticut Towns and Municipalities<br />Wednesday, September 17, 2008<br />8 am to 1 pm<br />AIA Connecticut, 370 James Street, New Haven, CT 06513 Sponsored ByAIA Connecticut Committee on the Environment<br />AIA Connecticut Building Performance and Regulations<br />Connecticut Clean Energy FundConnecticut Energy Efficiency Fund<br />Breakfast and Lunch will be served<br />Fee: $20 Directions and additional information are at the AIA Connecticut website, <a href="http://www.aiact.org/" rel="nofollow">www.aiact.org</a>. Please click on September 17 on the calendar. Registration Deadline: September 13, 2008.<br />Program:Introduction: George Fellner, AIA<br />Green Guidelines' Benefits: Ross Spiegel, FAIA<br />Overview and Case Studies: LEED®, Energy Star(TM) , Green Globes(TM) , SB07 Rating Systems: Greg Bergmiller; Michele Helou, Associate AIA; Alan Lagocki, AIA; Rusty Malik, AIA; Linda Reeder, AIA; Tom Roger, Gilbane Building Co. Funding Strategies: Jennifer Janelle, Esq., Shipman and Goodwin, LLCIncentives and Programs: David Ljungquist, CCEF; Fred Wajcs, CEEFAIA Tool Kit for Mayors: Gwen Emery, AIA Connecticut ParticipantConnecticut Building Code and Regulations: Lisa Humble, AIA, State Building Inspector; Louis Free, AIA, State Codes and StandardsDenise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-83107971929001030362008-08-20T08:15:00.005-05:002008-08-21T08:32:06.084-05:00John Grim to Speak Sept. 24<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xrd7tsZeGjwPpBG1t1ZKj2RjW7Q3q5pUvWMZ5lCvj9kFaIfw__1S3sAGbmYh8UNKSZVnkeN_-3qjKyxRivimCtVTHSON8AXyxuFQk4WqLSzUGSbEMhwNM1dBU-LLXWCneSXTX8f0jAHO/s1600-h/grim.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236589930980751234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xrd7tsZeGjwPpBG1t1ZKj2RjW7Q3q5pUvWMZ5lCvj9kFaIfw__1S3sAGbmYh8UNKSZVnkeN_-3qjKyxRivimCtVTHSON8AXyxuFQk4WqLSzUGSbEMhwNM1dBU-LLXWCneSXTX8f0jAHO/s400/grim.jpg" border="0" /></a> Noted environmentalist John Grim will be the keynote speaker at the annual Sacred Trust Forum, Co-sponsored by Hartford Seminary and Connecticut IPL/Interreligious Eco-Justice Network.<br /><div>Learn more about the event (and register online if you wish) <a href="http://www.hartsem.edu/events/Sacred_Trust.html">here.</a></div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a></div><br /><div><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a></div><br /><div><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-51064801593385621222008-07-31T12:17:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:56:42.930-05:00Google Maps Walking Directions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpMupEdbf7a2WRl-27rU8GbcpfgDM66lD_mxHeknV5mCbqTcG83zfrfXGSVltufZBaTdIYyitn3Py1fgay7teoWafMusvsSZpPLZbGDe0c1r7QnO3UqiGZYhNybQhdjnr1hWQvPq_u8VI/s1600-h/maps_logo_small.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229229703003923666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpMupEdbf7a2WRl-27rU8GbcpfgDM66lD_mxHeknV5mCbqTcG83zfrfXGSVltufZBaTdIYyitn3Py1fgay7teoWafMusvsSZpPLZbGDe0c1r7QnO3UqiGZYhNybQhdjnr1hWQvPq_u8VI/s400/maps_logo_small.png" border="0" /></a> Perhaps it is a sign of the times, but those who walk to destinations whenever possible will be pleased to learn that Google maps has a "walking" option when searching for directions.<br />Here's how it works: Go to maps.google.com and choose the "walking" option. The travel time reflects walking speed instead of driving time.<br /><br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a><strong> </strong>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-40985517281197351962008-07-18T09:28:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:56:43.080-05:00Gore calls for Carbon-Free Grid in the US<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WsoUDaLm4fzcVi3H8XLeTCuyOT6-MGpxRRPNqQBE8yPNSz-yGVGLY-XPzU9f9pA0ofj9gmFIEav8ExAv7Pj3H9VVuNqBNg_OOUw7CgmR6C2oAuF9UDIP8jYwNUqyYZuSUNgcVMzdhZ2r/s1600-h/AlGore.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224361997767677810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WsoUDaLm4fzcVi3H8XLeTCuyOT6-MGpxRRPNqQBE8yPNSz-yGVGLY-XPzU9f9pA0ofj9gmFIEav8ExAv7Pj3H9VVuNqBNg_OOUw7CgmR6C2oAuF9UDIP8jYwNUqyYZuSUNgcVMzdhZ2r/s400/AlGore.jpg" border="0" /></a> According to an article in the <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/washington/18gorecnd.html?em&ex=1216526400&en=2bd9e313602576c1&ei=5087%0A">New York Times</a></em>, Al Gore has called on the United States to switch to clean sources for electric power by 2020. (See excerpt of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/washington/18gorecnd.html?em&ex=1216526400&en=2bd9e313602576c1&ei=5087%0A">article </a>below.)<br /><a href="http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/the-annotated-gore-climate-speech/index.html?hp">Dot Earth: The (Annotated) Gore Climate Speech</a><a name="secondParagraph"></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;">Former Vice President </span><a title="More articles about Al Gore." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/al_gore/index.html?inline=nyt-per"><span style="color:#009900;">Al Gore</span></a><span style="color:#009900;"> said on Thursday that Americans must abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels within a decade and rely on the sun, the winds and other environmentally friendly sources of power, or risk losing their national security as well as their creature comforts. </span><br /><span style="color:#009900;">“The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk,” Mr. Gore said in a speech to an energy conference here. “The future of human civilization is at stake.”<br />Mr. Gore called for the kind of concerted national effort that enabled Americans to walk on the moon 39 years ago this month, just eight years after President </span><a title="More articles about John Fitzgerald Kennedy." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/john_fitzgerald_kennedy/index.html?inline=nyt-per"><span style="color:#009900;">John F. Kennedy</span></a><span style="color:#009900;"> famously embraced that goal. He said the goal of producing all of the nation’s electricity from “renewable energy and truly clean, carbon-free sources” within 10 years is not some farfetched vision, although he said it would require fundamental changes in political thinking and personal expectations.<br />“This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative,” Mr. Gore said in his remarks at the conference. “It represents a challenge to all Americans, in every walk of life — to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.”</span><br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-29429121338498472232008-07-17T08:46:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:56:43.208-05:00Go,Team Carbon-Reduction!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLcTduXNbXFzSVlGbApaqT6LH7YrN2rxSuYjaphUCAo1GizQBOYvEI-JZ0UJBBFLmVxD7ziMmlJg9YuUtgAvW4IoMijFL8DxVtLbTojiNYxzhGIalYVcr83HcRqeJFLwZCuduO8iJvqBC/s1600-h/greenfootprint.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223980549523699490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLcTduXNbXFzSVlGbApaqT6LH7YrN2rxSuYjaphUCAo1GizQBOYvEI-JZ0UJBBFLmVxD7ziMmlJg9YuUtgAvW4IoMijFL8DxVtLbTojiNYxzhGIalYVcr83HcRqeJFLwZCuduO8iJvqBC/s400/greenfootprint.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/fashion/17Cyber.html?ref=fashion">A New York Times article</a> talks about <a href="http://www.carbonrally.com/">Carbon Rally</a>, a website that enables you to join forces with like-minded friends and family to reduce your carbon footprint. An excerpt is below:<br /><div><span style="color:#009900;">I ended up at </span><a href="http://carbonrally.com/"><span style="color:#993399;">CarbonRally.com</span></a><span style="color:#009900;">, a site that promised to make me feel good about what I do to save energy instead of feel guilty about what I don’t.<br />Or, as Jason Karas, the founder, put it, “We’re not going to make you upload your utility bills and measure your carbon footprint and learn fundamentally negative information like, here’s all the really bad stuff you do.”<br />CarbonRally, which began nine months ago with a single proposal to give up bottled water, now offers a few dozen ways that individuals — or teams — can save energy. For instance, keeping tires properly inflated on an average car that travels 12,000 miles a year will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 29.1 pounds a month.<br />The site offers an extensive explanation for its calculations. What leapt out at me was a statistic: a car with properly inflated tires will use 1.5 gallons less gas monthly.<br />That came out to $83.16 a year — or more, if gas prices rise. We needed a family team.</span></div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#009900;"></span></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-80105070111911169382008-07-16T12:08:00.004-05:002008-12-09T07:56:43.774-05:00Connecticut IPL Director Interviews Rusty Pritchard of Evangelical Environmental Network<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IHvtrBKfG2W7dY-gNadmtdY4MfUYHZZ730po_cu5f8BmluRde5e-cChUKZHtsEXUAonLHXCW2K9yYOcgy3tBADolC5oD77x4HBHWOVdnHf-Cvw7Jqd06sQYldGiAgPWPqtrfLffIx1TF/s1600-h/shma.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223661229047544386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IHvtrBKfG2W7dY-gNadmtdY4MfUYHZZ730po_cu5f8BmluRde5e-cChUKZHtsEXUAonLHXCW2K9yYOcgy3tBADolC5oD77x4HBHWOVdnHf-Cvw7Jqd06sQYldGiAgPWPqtrfLffIx1TF/s400/shma.gif" border="0" /></a> <em>Originally published in Sh’ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility (</em><a style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.shma.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><em>www.shma.com</em></a><em>) June 2008. Reprinted with permission.</em><br /><br /><div><a href="http://shma.com/june_08/sharing_earth.htm"><strong>Sharing the Earth</strong><br /></a><em>Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener, director of Interreligious Eco-Justice Network, Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light is the spiritual leader of Congregation Pnai Or of Central Conn. She is author of Life on Earth: A User's Guide, and For All Who Call: A Guide to Enhancing Prayer Instruction in the Jewish Community. She is also the translator of Conscious Community, A Guide to Spiritual Development, written in the early years of World War II by Rabbi Kalanymous Kalman Shapira. Dr. Lowell “Rusty” Pritchard, a resource economist, is the National Director of Outreach for the Evangelical Environmental Network and the editor of Creation Care magazine, a Christian environmental quarterly.<br /></em>Andrea Cohen-Kiener: Does your mandate for climate change come from Genesis?<br />Rusty Pritchard: Yes, but as an Evangelical Christian, I often go to John 3:16 which starts off, “for God so loved the world.” Most Evangelicals hear that word “world” and think it means all the people in the world. But the word is cosmos. And it fits with the story of creation in Genesis that God loves his whole creation.<br />Cohen-Kiener: We need to acknowledge our grandeur and our smallness simultaneously. I've experienced a resistance in the Jewish community to environmental efforts; I've heard often over the past ten years, “we have more important issues to address.” Have you experienced similar speed bumps?<br />Pritchard: The biggest speed bump is a limited conception of God, and a comfortable conservatism that is scared of change. I ask people, “what is it that conservatives should be conserving?” Of course we need to conserve natural resources, families and the ability of families to make a living. We need also to conserve beautiful places, including small towns and farms, all that makes human civilization good and beautiful and diverse. We can respect diversity because it's a blessing from God. That takes us past the shallow conservatism of fearing new ideas and deeper to a conservatism that says we ought to do our best to take care of the natural world.<br />Cohen-Kiener: In my community, there are primarily two speed bumps. First, my people are a minority and there's a natural tendency toward particularism — taking care first of oneself, one's people, one's family. The universalism of environmental makes some Jews feel it's not an essentially Jewish issue.<br />Pritchard: Even though it's not demographically true, Evangelicals also feel like an embattled minority culture. Our dominant myth is that we're a faithful remnant that acknowledges the truth even though the world has gone another direction. Until recently, our community viewed environmentalism as a liberal issue, or as a popular fad. But because our theology says that God's character can be seen in the created world, many conservative Christians are beginning to be concerned about creation care. In that view, destroying creation and permitting ecological degradation are like ripping pages out of scripture.<br />Cohen-Kiener: Let's talk about the pervasive value of consumerism in our culture, our deep hungers of the spirit and flesh. Our culture is so illiterate about the hungers of the spirit that we try to fill up that hunger with a new car or fancy vacation. And we're polluting the planet in that effort. We need a counterbalance to consumerism.<br />Pritchard: I agree. We have such a fundamental addiction to consuming. The Jewish Sabbath is an antidote to that hunger. It helps us test what we can give up from material culture. The Sabbath idea jumps out of every part of Scripture — the rhythms of rest and satisfaction and enjoyment of the created order are meant to pervade all of our lives. There are weekly rhythms and cycles of seven years and the jubilee cycle of 49 years, all celebrating the sufficiency and the providence of God, where we rest and enjoy and encounter with delight the works of God. The Fourth Commandment requires not only your rest, but the rest of all of your household, including everyone who works for you and all of your animals. And the land itself. It demands we not push to the limits our ecological systems or the people who work for us.<br />I've just returned from a pastors' conference in New York City where some of the urban churches are trying to reclaim the idea of cities as good places. Evangelicals generally hold an anti-urban bias that comes from a vision of our faith as a remnant existing outside of the mainstream of culture. There's an inability to see cities as places that need investment and work, as places to build meaningful community. In a highly urbanized culture we have to rethink our environmental work — conserving not only wilderness or endangered species but also building sustainable communities. I wonder whether there's something to learn there from Jewish tradition, which thrives in cities.<br />Cohen-Kiener: A city is a manmade place as opposed to the wild. It raises questions about how to create sustainable structures.<br />Pritchard: The pastor of Church of the Redeemer in New York City, Tim Keller, is trying to redefine a city to include small towns throughout the agricultural landscape. He envisions multiuse, walkable, human settlements that have density and diversity. Those settlements can be megacities or smaller places where people live in community, and where culture is created. God either wants us in the country or in the city, but I'm not sure we should try to mix the two, as in a suburb.<br />Cohen-Kiener: That brings us to another, related, issue, environmental justice, and questions about air quality, transfer stations, garbage dumps, what's called source point pollution, which is almost always located around the world in nonwhite population centers.<br />Pritchard: The worst stuff gets dumped on the poorest communities and on ethnic minorities. Within blocks of our church there's a toxic waste facility, a trash transfer station, chemical plant, an impoundment lot for towed vehicles.<br />Cohen-Kiener: When we talk about environmental justice we need to do so in partnership with the poor and with the “other.” If there was a garbage transfer station in the western suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut where I'm sitting right now people would be much more avid in their support of reduce, reuse, recycle and pre-cycle. The technology and the market forces would come into play more quickly if the consequences were borne evenly and appropriately.<br />Pritchard: Maybe we need a public policy that puts toxic waste treatment facilities and landfills only in the zip codes with the highest per capita income.<br />Systems and institutions can be sinful in ways different than individuals, who are filled with flaws like jealously, pride, and rage. Environmental issues open a window onto the economic and social systems that are unjust and often racist. As an economist, I think our public policies and the ways businesses operate will change once they face the costs of the pollution that they now get to dispose of largely for free. Climate policy may involve getting the right price on carbon dioxide so that it becomes a part of the price of all of the goods that we buy and sell and therefore we implicitly take it into account even if we aren't explicitly looking for the greenest option. It must hit us in our pocketbook. We need to think explicitly about challenging businesses to be not just responsive to price signals and creating value for their shareholders but to think about ethics in a much broader sense and to allow their business models to be contaminated by their sense of morality and not pretend that there is this huge divide that businesses are sort of amoral institutions.<br />Cohen-Kiener: Influencing minds and hearts is going to open a very powerful, passionate, articulate, empowered wellspring as we reexamine what we really need, what we really want, what really makes us feel wealthy and safe. It's going to look like spending less and having less. It's going to feel like more wealth. The root of this sin is disconnection. And the cure is connection.<br />(c) 2008 Sh'ma. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Sh'ma.<br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a> </div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-90366597602205004252008-07-14T10:03:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:56:45.274-05:00Sierra Club Praises RI IPL<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQXFFu7q7kRJVYGqmpjUfw63LWPgxRaH3z5RPtw8TVdBhHPmINlDn5SvjF04hb4auA0Ven1F6-1FpTr01NNpZVyB977YEtzyWqDBjSVpdwTvknPf0400ueLb360m6RKhzeUgg9KrbNvSJ/s1600-h/RIflag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222886373370091042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQXFFu7q7kRJVYGqmpjUfw63LWPgxRaH3z5RPtw8TVdBhHPmINlDn5SvjF04hb4auA0Ven1F6-1FpTr01NNpZVyB977YEtzyWqDBjSVpdwTvknPf0400ueLb360m6RKhzeUgg9KrbNvSJ/s400/RIflag.jpg" border="0" /></a> By Ted Nesi PBN Staff Writer<br />NORTH KINGSTOWN – An interfaith group that is working to raise awareness about climate change was spotlighted today in a Sierra Club report on faith-based environmentalism.<br />Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light, founded in January 2007 by a dozen of the state’s religious leaders, describes itself as “an interfaith ministry devoted to deepening the connection between ecology and faith.”<br />To date, more than 60 congregations have joined in Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light, according to the Rev. Harry Rix, chairman of the board for the North Kingstown-based organization. The local group is a state chapter of the national Interfaith Power & Light.<br />Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light’s activities so far have included free screenings of the film “An Inconvenient Truth” and the distribution of free compact fluorescent light bulbs, provided by <a href="http://www.walmart.com/" target="_blank">Wal-Mart</a>, to low-income households.<br />The Sierra Club report – “Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet,” released by the Rhode Island chapter this morning at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Providence – spotlights faith-based environmental initiatives in all 50 states. According to the report, 67 percent of Americans say they care about the environment because it is “God’s creation,” and organizers are looking to tap into that feeling to boost the burgeoning “creation care” movement.<br />“This report demonstrates that the call to care for the earth comes no matter what one’s faith background is,” Chris Wilhite, director of the Rhode Island Sierra Club, said in a statement. “We are inspired by Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light’s leadership in working to protect the planet, and this report is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the many people of faith working on creation care initiatives across the country.”<br />In Massachusetts , the report looked at the work of the Rev. Fred Small, a Littleton pastor who in 2001 founded the organization Religious Witness for the Earth.<br />Small’s group has planned environmental prayer services, circulated petitions, and testified at state and federal hearings. In March 2007, Religious Witness for the Earth held what the Sierra Club report describes as the largest anti-global-warming demonstration in the country’s history.<br />“I wanted to explore how to apply the lessons of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., to a challenge of comparable moral urgency,” Small told the report’s authors.<br />Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 to promote deeper “connection between ecology and faith,” is a state chapter of the nationwide Interfaith Power & Light. For more information, visit <a href="http://riipl.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">riipl.org</a>.<br />The Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club is an affiliate of the nationwide nonprofit environmental policy and research group. For more information, including the full report, visit <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/ri." target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.sierraclub.org/ri.</a><br /><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a> </div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-33774566783610464082008-07-03T09:24:00.006-05:002008-12-09T07:56:45.365-05:00Do Flatscreen TVs cause climate change?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiChCKJi1wUilzDnwI7n-F8eHY9SXcqRCSVslm9CsC2oHvQekrQaZokE131VAxawT_4ISPSnS132iNrDefNtrTLgx1BuBTBmKHOFeGIHaJyOyFUHp84IzxU3fZxE5FwUEh3TqqsO9yofX1/s1600-h/flatscreen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218795203826351874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiChCKJi1wUilzDnwI7n-F8eHY9SXcqRCSVslm9CsC2oHvQekrQaZokE131VAxawT_4ISPSnS132iNrDefNtrTLgx1BuBTBmKHOFeGIHaJyOyFUHp84IzxU3fZxE5FwUEh3TqqsO9yofX1/s400/flatscreen.jpg" border="0" /></a> An article in the British newspaper <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jul/03/scienceofclimatechange.climatechange"><em>The Guardian</em> </a>warns about this new danger to the environment (see excerpt below):<br /><div><div><span style="color:#006600;">The rising demand for flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the world's largest coal-fired power stations, a leading environmental scientist warned yesterday.</span><br /><span style="color:#006600;">Manufacturers use a greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride to make the televisions, and as the sets have become more popular, annual production of the gas has risen to about 4,000 tonnes.<br />As a driver of global warming, nitrogen trifluoride is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, yet no one knows how much of it is being released into the atmosphere by the industry, said Michael Prather, director of the environment institute at the University of California, Irvine.</span><br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a></div><div><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-50149375741478676812008-07-02T07:12:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:56:45.514-05:00Go Behind the Wheel of a Smart Car<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Fsk3HTOTwAtyEUW_Snk8xKXL1qGHe9U_YAcGuZYO7nrggtuxZOSNPBJCfyXervoS8QYrOnFAAd3vYyQavCAscOfkw2_FaSl9p0JQp5gMDMbRprm7r0_Zx6odoAJ1dm_0TIDt81Q7-6ln/s1600-h/Smart-Car_web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218389920143550578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Fsk3HTOTwAtyEUW_Snk8xKXL1qGHe9U_YAcGuZYO7nrggtuxZOSNPBJCfyXervoS8QYrOnFAAd3vYyQavCAscOfkw2_FaSl9p0JQp5gMDMbRprm7r0_Zx6odoAJ1dm_0TIDt81Q7-6ln/s400/Smart-Car_web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Curious about the energy-efficient <a href="http://www.smartusa.com/">Smart Car</a>? Salon has a </div><div><a href="http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/?last_story=/ent/video_dog/elsewhere/2008/07/02/machinist_smartcar/">video review</a> of how it drives.</div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-66810581967373076582008-06-27T10:11:00.004-05:002008-12-09T07:56:45.647-05:00Ice-Free North Pole in '08?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxq5J94os7MkyjJbTHxI0Mb65jpFFjbhyLaqUIw6DU_FiyiraWowkhVIM5uVLBi4euiRXhoT69ImyAZKTd97FUjD5-nNQzT2sLVSUjqe8I3wIRKoHAMJlsEwduhgS6JPkOZxEbWs86J-b/s1600-h/melting+ice+cap.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216581167036888578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxq5J94os7MkyjJbTHxI0Mb65jpFFjbhyLaqUIw6DU_FiyiraWowkhVIM5uVLBi4euiRXhoT69ImyAZKTd97FUjD5-nNQzT2sLVSUjqe8I3wIRKoHAMJlsEwduhgS6JPkOZxEbWs86J-b/s400/melting+ice+cap.jpg" border="0" /></a> The chances are greater than 50% that there will be no ice at the North Pole this summer, according to <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-no-ice-at-the-north-pole-855406.html">this article in The Independent </a>(see excerpt below):<br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">Seasoned polar scientists believe the chances of a totally ice-free North Pole this summer are greater than 50:50 because the normally thick ice formed over many years at the Pole has been blown away and replaced by huge swathes of thinner ice formed over a single year.<br />This one-year ice is highly vulnerable to melting during the summer months and satellite data coming in over recent weeks shows that the rate of melting is faster than last year, when there was an all-time record loss of summer sea ice at the Arctic.<br />"The issue is that, for the first time that I am aware of, the North Pole is covered with extensive first-year ice – ice that formed last autumn and winter. I'd say it's even-odds whether the North Pole melts out," said Dr Serreze.<br />Each summer the sea ice melts before reforming again during the long Arctic winter but the loss of sea ice last year was so extensive that much of the Arctic Ocean became open water, with the water-ice boundary coming just 700 miles away from the North Pole.</span><br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-65609599398012007502008-06-27T07:40:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:56:45.994-05:00$7 Gallon by 2010?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6DaFQddSae1pOtyUD6rUwQh_E8Cgq9E_1CoyOJlvoRnORlc-miJ8O_Y2oew6Dag3xCUyAxkySQ-XVebuTiJ1bDDTIChvieGwLLZRscNWl3y3NbnlGtXBQZfj7L1B66aA8-GYmztp1ve3/s1600-h/pump.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216542106293197682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6DaFQddSae1pOtyUD6rUwQh_E8Cgq9E_1CoyOJlvoRnORlc-miJ8O_Y2oew6Dag3xCUyAxkySQ-XVebuTiJ1bDDTIChvieGwLLZRscNWl3y3NbnlGtXBQZfj7L1B66aA8-GYmztp1ve3/s400/pump.jpg" border="0" /></a> That's what Bradford Plummer is saying, according to an article in <a href="http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/environmentandenergy/archive/2008/06/26/quot-the-greatest-mass-exodus-of-vehicles-quot-in-u-s-history.aspx"><em>The New Republic.</em> </a>Check it out below<br /><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/06/26/oil-shock-analyst-predicts-7-gas-mass-exodus-of-us-cars/"><span style="color:#993399;">Via</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"><span style="color:#993399;"> </span>the WSJ's Keith Johnson, </span><a href="http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/sjun08.pdf"><span style="color:#993399;">this new oil forecast</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> from Jeff Rubin of CIBC World Markets is genuinely shocking, especially with its prediction of $7/gallon gas in the United States by 2010. There seems to be no way to avoid it: Saudi Arabia's pledge to pump out more crude amounts to a "pittance," China's decision to cut gas subsidies will barely move prices, and the most promising attempts to open up new supplies, in both the Canadian oil sands and Gulf of Mexico, have been plagued by overruns and delays. So, add it all up, and the effects on driving in the United States are going to be titanic:<br />Over the next four years, we are likely to witness the greatest mass exodus of vehicles off America’s highways in history. By 2012, there should be some 10 million fewer vehicles on American roadways than there are today—a decline that dwarfs all previous adjustments including those during the two OPEC oil shocks. ...<br />Our analysis suggests that about half of the number of cars coming off the road in the next four years will be from low income households who have access to public transit. At their current driving habits, filling up the tank will have risen from about 7% of their income to 20%, an increase that will see many start taking the bus.</span><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">Nearly 57 million car-owning households have "reasonable" access to some form of public transit, so that's where most of the shift will happen, but even then, it won't be easy—especially since transit systems are already overwhelmed (and facing budget shortfalls themselves because of high oil prices). And people in more remote—and especially rural—areas will be screwed.<br />Eventually, land-use patterns would start to change. Already people </span><a href="http://www.ryanavent.com/blog/?p=1158"><span style="color:#993399;">are starting to move</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> out of the suburbs and closer to city centers in response to high gas prices, but it's another thing entirely for millions to abandon the vast car-oriented infrastructure we've erected over decades and try to adopt European-type living patterns in just a few short years. To put things in perspective, </span><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4333"><span style="color:#993399;">only about 5 percent</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> of Americans used public transit to commute as of 2005, compared with about 50 percent in Japan and Europe, where pricey gas has long been a reality. It's not clear whether the United States could scale up that quickly by, say, 2012, though it sounds like, among other things, it would be a good idea to get started now. (Oh, and that's not even touching on the potential for stagflation if $7/gallon gas really is on the way.)</span><br /><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong><span style="color:#993399;">http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</span></strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong><span style="color:#993399;">Check out the National IPL Blog.</span></strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong><span style="color:#993399;">http://www.shopipl.org/</span></strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-26953196411998475142008-06-26T15:46:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.141-05:00Congregations Making a Difference<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IK35AzjXc55ePwDmflF3DbN7mZQPcKgHmRv3NyIx-ijemTAYTGqlfjiVMYS1ljGcTnR8WcDAbEZj0VSfVKI5ABzPj6j-QxQDbxqoSxPRlJY0Ah6D9rTkQwtsaILsVoz6CkNQinnEUcLr/s1600-h/Eco-justice+banner.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216295788505542882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IK35AzjXc55ePwDmflF3DbN7mZQPcKgHmRv3NyIx-ijemTAYTGqlfjiVMYS1ljGcTnR8WcDAbEZj0VSfVKI5ABzPj6j-QxQDbxqoSxPRlJY0Ah6D9rTkQwtsaILsVoz6CkNQinnEUcLr/s400/Eco-justice+banner.jpg" border="0" /></a> The <a href="http://www.nccecojustice.org//index.htm">National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs</a> is highlighting churches doing things to protect creation. Read about it below:<br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">In May, the call went out for stories to be submitted of what local congregations were doing across the country to protect God's Creation. The response included more than 50 submissions, covering a wide spectrum of activities including Children's Ministry, Green Building, Food and Faith, Energy Conservation, Alternative Transportation, Recycling, Environmental Justice, and Comprehensive Program, with the winner of each category receiving a $500 grant to continue their work. To view a collection of the stories submitted, click </span><a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=QtWjuSvtoxVJc2lyNqN%2F5w7tGpCqIUMZ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#006600;">here</span></a><span style="color:#006600;">.<br />The Manassas Church of the Brethren in Manassas, Virginia, is the winner of the Children's Ministry category, with their Junior BUGS program, imparting the message of Creation Care to the children of their congregation. The Madison Christian Community, an ecumenical partnership between Advent Lutheran Church and the Community of Hope in Madison, Wisconsin, won the Food and Faith category for their restorative justice gardening, reaching out to inmates in local prisons to teach horticulture.<br />In the Green Building Category, St. Marks Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California, was recognized as the Audubon Society's 'Greenest in the Nation', and built their new building with LEED standards in mind. For the Energy Conservation category, the award goes to First Grace United Methodist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, for their work to conserve energy in their rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. "One of the most at-risk cities for the effects of global warming is New Orleans, and one of the biggest contributors is energy usage," says Sarah Fleming, one of the church volunteers.<br />Kern Road Mennonite Church, in South Bend, Indiana, has started the tradition of riding bikes to church, earning them the award in the Alternative Transportation category. "When one person starts something like this then the next thing you know you have a whole group of people," said Deanna Waggy, a church member. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, All People's Church has reclaimed a garden in an urban community, earning them the award in the Environmental Justice category.<br />For the Recycling category, Wesley United Methodist Church in Yakima, Washington, has kept more than 5 million pounds of trash out of the landfill through their community recycling program. And in the Comprehensive Program category, Maryland Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland, has, among other activities, reclaimed the wooded area around the church, and named environmental stewardship as a priority in everything the church does. "As our reputation for creation care grows, so has our congregation, which now attracts members from a 20-mile radius," said Bill Breaky, a church member. The church is currently preparing to install beehives at the rear of the woods. According to Breaky, "We look forward to the day when we can give jars of honey to visitors."<br />Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks so much to all of you who submitted stories for the contest, and keep filling us in on what you are doing in your congregations to better protect God's Creation!</span><br />Click <a href="http://us.f431.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=info@nccecojustice.org&Subj=Congregational%20Story" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:info@nccecojustice.org?subject=Congregational%20Story">here</a> to send an email and tell about what you are doing.<br />To view a map and see what congregations in your part of the country are already doing, click <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=R5ycnZciDD8Uf%2BELV%2BDDBQ7tGpCqIUMZ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</div><div>Click <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Un2iLBXg9YO%2F3s95bFYf8Q7tGpCqIUMZ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a> to join the cause on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!</div><div>Click <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RNc2pS6zrO4FNQ3wMLOiJA7tGpCqIUMZ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a> to view the blog!</div><div>Click <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DfdKzp%2BDLWRjmxIbJrTfeg7tGpCqIUMZ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a> to view the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a> page!</div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a></div><br /><div><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-24581215382729171442008-06-26T07:25:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.329-05:00Republican Senator Pushes Renewables<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiHuMhNcH6EvKb3oU4siVZQk6b0vT925S_kCiUbA_fkf3FYTZKI16TphsNrLlhz9C3gjkLSzFMjphjEm2MgSCY9vHKDeY0xL-K1x4gKc3AJin9hxRTO9hYP3o3RnoTZkTLI2BJNqcxApV/s1600-h/solar+panel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216166786940505042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiHuMhNcH6EvKb3oU4siVZQk6b0vT925S_kCiUbA_fkf3FYTZKI16TphsNrLlhz9C3gjkLSzFMjphjEm2MgSCY9vHKDeY0xL-K1x4gKc3AJin9hxRTO9hYP3o3RnoTZkTLI2BJNqcxApV/s400/solar+panel.jpg" border="0" /></a> A remarkable showdown is taking place in Congress this week, according to the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/25/AR2008062502886.html?nav=hcmodule">Washington Post.</a> See an excerpt of the story below:<br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">A</span> <span style="color:#006600;">Republican senator from Nevada, home to the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, yesterday blocked an ambitious plan to help troubled borrowers save their homes, saying he will not permit the measure to go forward unless the Senate adds tax breaks to encourage the production of renewable energy.<br />The demand by Sen. John Ensign </span><span style="color:#006600;">(R-Nev.) stalled a massive housing package with broad bipartisan support even as a report showed that new-home sales continued to tumble, underscoring the severity of the nation's housing slump. It also threw the Senate into chaos days before Congress is scheduled to leave town for the July 4 holiday, prompting Senate leaders to threaten to keep lawmakers in Washington through the weekend.<br />Late yesterday, </span><span style="color:#006600;">Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.)</span><span style="color:#006600;"> said the Senate is unlikely to take a final vote on the housing bill until next month. But the Senate will eventually approve the measure, he said, adding: "We need to finish housing. . . . With 8,500 houses going into foreclosure every day, we have an obligation to the American people."<br />Ensign said he would not back down from his demand to tack on more than $6 billion in tax breaks for producers of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power. The measure is popular with both parties -- Sen. </span><span style="color:#006600;">Maria Cantwell</span><span style="color:#006600;"> (D-Wash.) is a co-sponsor. But Senate Democrats oppose adding it to the housing bill because it is not accompanied by tax increases to make up for the lost revenue. Such an addition would ruin efforts to forge a compromise on the housing bill with the House, where 218 Democrats, a majority of the chamber, have signed a pledge to reject measures that increase the deficit.<br />Still, Ensign's insistence puts Democrats in the uncomfortable position of opposing renewable energy, a concept many of them ardently support.<br />That point was not lost on Ensign, chairman of the </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/National+Republican+Senatorial+Committee?tid=informline" target=""><span style="color:#006600;">National Republican Senatorial Committee</span></a><span style="color:#006600;">, who has been trying for weeks to attach the energy credits to a bill that has some hope of reaching the president's desk.<br />"Especially in an election year, very few things are actually going to make it into law and going to be signed by the president," he said. "The housing bill has a great chance of being signed into law. And that's why we're trying to get this renewable tax credit on this piece of legislation."<br />Ensign said the credits are critical to ending the nation's dependence on foreign oil and are important for his home state, where renewable-energy investments are becoming a major economic-development tool and source of jobs. Every quarter the tax credits remain off the books, he said, the nation and Nevada lose investment dollars and jobs that will never return.<br />Ensign acknowledged that his state also has been racked by the mortgage crisis and has led the nation in foreclosures for more than a year. </span></div><br /><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><strong><br />Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-42078782219484570492008-06-26T07:18:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.405-05:00World's Dirtiest Cities<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgB-m8nvVMTcu-w_rm3XfBDU6nSVgATlz9-lxuWlJhg69j7oStDZm6z98tCIIADUWNGiZCwrr0uY1MhOg7EAnus5Fku3N_APmik1wRaeDmEf50ni4Q-WNm5lYXI5679kdhZgv76hSpCy52/s1600-h/dirtycities_cubatao.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216164074702683842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgB-m8nvVMTcu-w_rm3XfBDU6nSVgATlz9-lxuWlJhg69j7oStDZm6z98tCIIADUWNGiZCwrr0uY1MhOg7EAnus5Fku3N_APmik1wRaeDmEf50ni4Q-WNm5lYXI5679kdhZgv76hSpCy52/s400/dirtycities_cubatao.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Check out the photos and text at <a href="http://www.popsci.com/environment/gallery/2008-06/worlds-dirtiest-cities">Popsci.com.</a> I've personally been to two of the top ten. What's your score?</div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><strong> </strong></div><div><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div><div> </div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-10106639581390227052008-06-25T07:44:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.543-05:00Home Depot Recycles CFLs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3ivB58r9OvpbREAwwD2bt8AdDYKWrM0HHfC1I8JrdaY8CQukOO3Mt8zGiDYtZxzcRTA5p8Zbg3Y9hZtaATKCp9iKXdUQfpqPwvRa7EYhoUwqokNiKgh8WGCX0KASXdVXfIBun4cs7IZf/s1600-h/bulbs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215800142313853906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3ivB58r9OvpbREAwwD2bt8AdDYKWrM0HHfC1I8JrdaY8CQukOO3Mt8zGiDYtZxzcRTA5p8Zbg3Y9hZtaATKCp9iKXdUQfpqPwvRa7EYhoUwqokNiKgh8WGCX0KASXdVXfIBun4cs7IZf/s400/bulbs.jpg" border="0" /></a> Good news for users of compact fluorescent bulbs--all Home Depot locations will now offer recycling services, according to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/business/24recycling.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin"><span style="color:#330099;">Ne<em>w York Times.</em></span></a> (See excerpt below.)<br /><div><a title="More information about Home Depot Inc" href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HomePageView?storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&langId=-1"><span style="color:#330099;">Home Depot</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"><span style="color:#330099;">,</span> the nation’s second-largest retailer, will announce on Tuesday that it will take back old compact fluorescents in all 1,973 of its stores in the United States, creating the nation’s most widespread recycling program for the bulbs.<br />“We kept hearing from the community that there was a little bit of concern about mercury in the C.F.L.’s,” said Ron Jarvis, Home Depot’s senior vice president for environmental innovation, using the industry abbreviation for the bulbs. “And if the C.F.L.’s were in their house, how could they dispose of them?”<br />Until now, consumers had to seek out local hazardous waste programs or smaller retail chains willing to collect the bulbs for recycling, like Ikea and True Value. Some consumers have waited for retailers like Wal-Mart</span><span style="color:#006600;"> to have a designated recycling day. Others bought kits to mail the bulbs to a recycling facility.<br />The </span><a title="More articles about the Environmental Protection Agency." href="http://www.epa.gov/"><span style="color:#330099;">Environmental Protection Agency</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> has been looking into putting bulb drop-off boxes at post offices, said Jim Berlow, director of the agency’s hazardous waste minimization and management division.<br />But those plans are not final, and across most of the country, recycling the bulbs has been inconvenient at best. Industry professionals estimate that the recycling rate is around 2 percent. </span></div><div><span style="color:#006600;"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </span></strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong><span style="color:#330099;">http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</span></strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong><span style="color:#330099;">Check out the National IPL Blog.</span></strong></a> <strong><span style="color:#000000;">Find discounts on energy saving products at </span></strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong><span style="color:#330099;">http://www.shopipl.org/</span></strong></a><br /></div></span>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-8125546978968916142008-06-19T10:05:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.724-05:00Seas rising and warming<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTS4zVXF1vqToKxXZhO55-1ifswOJVfpsItcd89QecYyJQizBcdqybwT1jZZ6cPlfwYfDX30dj8MTvSQ8F1xRnOgnbpPfkksFlsbfihdD0WmdKa2f9N2bW1m2XoeYEbMXnCqjunObZ1Fkg/s1600-h/ocean.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213609798887459554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTS4zVXF1vqToKxXZhO55-1ifswOJVfpsItcd89QecYyJQizBcdqybwT1jZZ6cPlfwYfDX30dj8MTvSQ8F1xRnOgnbpPfkksFlsbfihdD0WmdKa2f9N2bW1m2XoeYEbMXnCqjunObZ1Fkg/s400/ocean.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>According to this entry in the <em>New York Times</em> "Dot Earth" blog, the world's oceans are rising and getting warmer faster than expected. (See excerpt below):</div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">The study, by </span><a href="http://www.csiro.au/news/OceansWarming.html"><span style="color:#006600;">Australian</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> and American researchers, </span><a href="https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2008/NR-08-06-07.html"><span style="color:#006600;">reviewed millions of measurements</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> of ocean temperatures taken using a particular instrument on submarines and other vessels over four decades. The researchers found a subtle error that, when fixed, shows </span><a id="more-302"></a><span style="color:#006600;">that the rate at which seas warmed and rose between 1961 and 2003 was about 50 percent greater than previous estimates. </span></div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-72318429722380175132008-06-13T07:40:00.004-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.836-05:00Attack of the Killer Tomatoes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAM9GeYUiunuW4MDzqqZhE0SK1qTC3SwWWD_w3_s2I7EgZte7dsqhoKcNiGDTSxaC_rV091cdAsELWJ56QKOdDSqqhQqLi9xufLxlludNaLXoHPXwjvkmpBvjcIyCuCB_wlEuXrXbbPPZ/s1600-h/killertomatoes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211346779575094082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAM9GeYUiunuW4MDzqqZhE0SK1qTC3SwWWD_w3_s2I7EgZte7dsqhoKcNiGDTSxaC_rV091cdAsELWJ56QKOdDSqqhQqLi9xufLxlludNaLXoHPXwjvkmpBvjcIyCuCB_wlEuXrXbbPPZ/s400/killertomatoes.jpg" border="0" /></a> In today's <em>Washington Post</em> columnist <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/12/AR2008061203771.html?hpid=opinionsbox1">Dana Millbank takes a look</a> at a congressional hearing aimed at dealing with rising incidents of food contamination. See an excerpt below:<br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">The tomatoes attacked us brutally and without warning. Yesterday, our leaders struck back against the pernicious produce.<br />"As we hold this hearing, grocers and restaurants nationwide have been pulling tomatoes from the shelves and menus," announced Rep. John Shimkus, the ranking Republican member of the House Commerce subcommittee assigned to skewer the tomatoes.<br />One hundred sixty-seven people have been sickened by salmonella-tainted tomatoes -- and that's not the worst of it. "I tried to get a BLT sandwich in the cloakroom yesterday, and no tomato!" Shimkus recounted. "I had a BL sandwich."<br />Now THIS is war! And the more they talked about it, the more members of the panel realized that the Global War on Tomatoes would have to be broadened. Other freedom-hating foods are trying to kill us, too.<br />"We can see tomatoes, spinach, grapes, mushrooms, seafood and dozens of other items which have gone on to poison and sicken the American consumer," complained Rep. </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/John+Dingell?tid=informline" target=""><span style="color:#006600;">John Dingell</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> (D-Mich.).<br />"Jars of Peter Pan peanut butter containing salmonella, cans of green beans containing botulism, spinach tainted with E. coli, poisoned pot pies," rejoined Rep. </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Jan+Schakowsky?tid=informline" target=""><span style="color:#006600;">Jan Schakowsky</span></a><span style="color:#006600;"> (D-Ill.). "The largest meat recall in the history of our country. . . . Salmonella was found in Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals. . . . Tainted cantaloupes."<br />Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) was losing her appetite. "The longer you sit on this committee, the more depressed you get, because the issues never get resolved and crop up again and again," she said, betraying no sign that her "crop" pun was intentional.<br />It was one of the scarier moments in horticulture since the 1978 B movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," in which mutant fruits turned against humanity. And there was no escaping the horror yesterday, even on lunch break in the Rayburn cafeteria downstairs from the hearing room. "Because your health and safety is our first priority, we have followed the FDA warning by removing the tomato varieties of concern," a sign above the salad bar announced.</span> </div><br /><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a></div><br /><div><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122176731512487210.post-36008697500494931272008-06-05T10:23:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:56:46.943-05:00Rhode Island Moves Toward Renewable Energy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUehncNm4E-E_4vEs9R_ad6Jx2vaYbzPt8xkXHaLRQebIhS0DXhjMx2_rWz53dpfiOvNrX3GFgRUpaducG-v0JFKdM4vpUyTHDrkXQ_BdjcCHcybSczSBMw6W-UqdRqnseKmElYa1fH2O/s1600-h/RhodeIslandflag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208420024974828162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUehncNm4E-E_4vEs9R_ad6Jx2vaYbzPt8xkXHaLRQebIhS0DXhjMx2_rWz53dpfiOvNrX3GFgRUpaducG-v0JFKdM4vpUyTHDrkXQ_BdjcCHcybSczSBMw6W-UqdRqnseKmElYa1fH2O/s400/RhodeIslandflag.jpg" border="0" /></a> According to <a href="http://www.projo.com/news/content/Alternative_energy_06-04-08_T9AB2BV_v32.380b2c1.html">this article</a> in the Providence (Rhode Island) Journal, Rhode Island is going green. Read an excerpt below:<br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">BY TIMOTHY C. BARMANN and KATHERINE GREGGJournal Staff Writers<br /><br />State Rep. David Segal, D-Providence, answers questions from his House colleagues as his alternate-energy bill is debated.<br />The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch<br />PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Senate last night passed a series of energy bills designed to encourage and embrace renewable energy projects, both large and small, in order to make the state less dependent on electricity produced by traditional fossil fuels.<br />The House of Representatives approved one of its own and started debate on another. But in this corner of the State House, the debate escalated into allegations the bill had been stuffed “chock-full” with so many “treats” that it had been turned into the legislative equivalent of a piñata, and then rammed through a House committee without the opportunity for public comment on the potential added costs to ratepayers.<br />The House will resume its alternative-energy debate today, with passionate advocates on both sides.<br />Supporters of the legislation said it would spark development of small-scale renewable-energy projects, foster private investment in large-scale wind and solar projects, stabilize electricity prices, and at the same time spur economic development within the state.<br />Environmental advocates, who helped craft the bills, said enacting the laws would thrust Rhode Island into the forefront of renewable energy development in New England.<br />The centerpiece of the legislation is a bill that would require National Grid to enter into long-term contracts with renewable-energy developers to purchase their electricity. That requirement would give assurance to prospective developers that there would be a customer for the electricity produced by the project. Such assurance, the developers have said, is needed to borrow money to build renewable energy projects.<br />On the House side, some legislators were not convinced the bills were a good idea, and suggested that the General Assembly should take more time to study the potential impacts, such as how the bills might affect electricity rates.<br />“These are very complicated subjects which tend to be overwhelmed by emotional appeals to the ‘need to do something’ about alternative energy,” said Rep. Laurence Ehrhardt, R-North Kingstown.<br />The most significant energy bill, which passed the Senate yesterday, requires National Grid to enter into “commercially reasonable” long-term contracts to buy renewable energy from developers who plan to build large-scale renewable-energy projects. The company would be required to buy at least 5 percent of the power it delivers to Rhode Island, and the contracts would last 10 to 15 years, or even longer with approval by the Public Utilities Commission.</span></div><div><strong>Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 26 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at </strong><a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State." target="_blank"><strong>http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.</strong></a><a href="http://interfaithpowerandlight.blogspot.com/?tr=y&auid=3452910"><strong>Check out the National IPL Blog.</strong></a><br /><strong>Find discounts on energy saving products at </strong><a href="http://www.shopipl.org/"><strong>http://www.shopipl.org/</strong></a></div>Denise Clapsaddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613850211059931677noreply@blogger.com1