Just five more days until the Providence premiere of Carbon Nation. Tell your friends and come get inspired by inspiring people who took the path of positivity and solutions rather than complaining about the current carbon climate.

Join us after the film for a panel discussion with director Peter Byck and local environmental leaders. You may even get a chance to share your own carbon solutions.  Find out more information and purchase your tickets here:  http://www.clf.org/carbonnation/

See you on Monday!

Ever wondered what your own carbon footprint looks like? Calculate it here.

Once you’ve done that, make plans to come see Carbon Nation on October 25 at 6:00 PM at the Metcalf Auditorium in the Chace Center at RISD. Carbon Nation stands on the side of pioneers who want to find Solutions…who want to stop complaining and Take Action. Carbon Nation is an optimistic, solutions-based, non-preachy, non-partisan film that shows tackling climate change boosts the economy, increases national & energy security and promotes health & a clean environment.

What more could you ask for? Come and see.

Buy your tickets online today! Time is running out!

So the 100% biodegradable packaging that PepsiCo uses for its Sun Chips snacks is going away because … well, isn’t it obvious?!

PepsiCo is taking the no-waste, completely compostable, producer-finally-taking-responsibility-for-the- waste-it generates packaging off the shelves because WE complained that the packaging makes too much noise. It is hard to believe that we as consumers would make the conscious effort NOT to buy a product simply because the part of the product that we usually throw away is too loud. The trash trucks barreling down the side streets to pick up garbage (not too loud), the people living near landfills raising their voices to complain about rodents and odors and air quality (not too loud), citizen voices raised in anger to complain about higher taxes to pay for the higher costs associated with disposal of trash (not too loud), but a socially responsible package, designed to reduce our carbon footprint, our trash footprint, our costs …too loud?

It’s time to shut up and make some noise! Be Loud, Be Proud … and, p.s. buy a composter.

Do you care about trash (or lack thereof)? Join CLF’s Trash Talk campaign. Listen for us on  95.5 WBRU or become a fan of the  Trash Talk Landfill on Facebook.

I was privileged to meet yesterday afternoon with a delegation of Russian leaders and activists to talk about decommissioning nuclear power plants.  They were mostly interested in how groups like CLF work within the system.  What are our strategies, tactics and funding to do the work we do? 

The idea that we are funded by members and bring lawsuits or intervene in proceedings seemed more foreign to them than just our different nationalities.

In a country still facing the effects of Chernobyl, it is inspiring that a group of dedicated persons – mostly volunteers – are working so hard internationally on decommissioning.  I am encouraged by their enthusiasm. 

They seemed encouraged by Vermont’s example of passing a law to allow the state legislature to vote on relicensing.  They were wondering if they could do the same in Russia.  CLF helped write and pass that law in Vermont.   Maybe it will help our planet, and not just Vermont, rely more on cleaner forms of energy in the future, and avoid any more nuclear disasters.

Hotter Temperatures More than Doubled Smog Days in New England

On October 1, the EPA announced that the number of bad air quality days increased from 11 last year to 28 in 2010.  These are also known as “high ozone days” and are triggered when ozone levels exceed the standards EPA has set to protect public health. Excessive ozone, more commonly known as smog, results from a combination of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and heat and sunlight. Even short-term exposure to smog has been shown to shorten lives and cause other severe health impacts, including shortness of breath, chest pain, asthma attacks, and increased hospitalization for vulnerable populations such as the very young, elderly, and those already suffering from lung or heart disease. In children, smog can also result in dramatic long-term impacts such as reduced lung development and function.

The hotter the day, the worse the smog—and that smog is intensified by the increased use of electricity from coal and other fossil fuel-fired power plants when we crank up our air conditioners.  Emissions from cars and trucks add to the dangerous mix, and as climate change progresses, the temperatures continue to rise.

Until now, the greater Boston area had experienced an average of 14 days of 90 degrees or more per year. In 2007, the Union of Concerned Scientists had estimated that climate change would result in no more than 15-18 days of 90+ degree weather from 2010-2039.

But in 2010, Boston endured 23 days of 90+ degree weather, far outstripping both the annual average and predictions of what that number would be in the future.  Although EPA has proposed stronger emissions limitations for power plants and cars and trucks, the rapid rise in 90+ degree days is a side effect of climate change that has already been set in motion, and it will continue and worsen unless we take action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Coal-fired power plants rank as one of the primary culprits when it comes to emitting climate change pollutants and nitrogen oxides.  Across the nation, coal-fired power plants are the second largest source of nitrogen oxide emissions, and here in New England alone, eight coal-fired power plants churn out 10,515 tons of nitrogen oxide a year and millions of tons of carbon dioxide.  By contributing to climate change and increasing smog-forming pollutants, coal-fired power plants pose a major threat to New England’s air quality.  Creating a healthier future for New England means creating a Coal Free New England.  CLF is committed to shutting down each one of these polluting plants by 2020.  Work with CLF to create a thriving, healthy New England.

I have updated my previous post about the fossil fuel billionaire Koch brothers to note that the two brothers who are major funders of the anti-progress and prosperity “Americans for Prosperity” are, as reported by the Albany Times-Union,  participating in the RGGI carbon allowance auction through their commodity trading business.

While they are certainly free to do this it is deeply ironic because their friends at the astroturf  anti-progress and prosperity “Americans for Prosperity”, as discussed in the original blog post, are in the midst of a campaign against the RGGI program.

The following are excerpts from Wendell Berry’s essay “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear,” published in 2001 in reaction to the tragedy of 9/11 and its aftermath.  Nine years later, his “thoughts” still ring true.

XXIV.  Starting with the economies of food and farming, we should promote at home and encourage abroad the ideal of local self-sufficiency.  We should recognize that this is the surest, the safest, and the cheapest way for the world to live.  We should not countenance the loss or destruction of any local capacity to produce necessary goods.

XXV.  We should reconsider and renew and extend our efforts to protect the natural foundations of the human economy: soil, water, and air.  We should protect every intact ecosystem and watershed that we have left, and begin restoration of those that have been damaged.

…

XXVII.  The first thing we must begin to teach our children (and learn ourselves) is that we cannot spend and consume endlessly.  We have got to learn to save and conserve.  We do need a “new economy,” but one that is founded on thrift and care, on saving and conserving, not on excess and waste.  An economy based on waste is inherently and hopelessly violent, and war is its inevitable byproduct.  We need a peaceable economy.

(2001)

You can read all of Wendell Berry’s “Thoughts” in his book “Citizenship Papers” published by  Shoemaker and Hoard.

When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.  Unfortunately, Vermont’s transportation agency keeps digging.  Vermont continues to push forward the unnecessary Circ Highway project – a new multi-million dollar ring road around Burlington, Vermont.   A federal court decision halted this project in 2004.  The mismanagement continues.  As a result, Vermonters suffer more traffic and more pollution. 

CLF has again shown cleaner, safer and lower cost transportation solutions are available.  With crumbling bridges and roads, budget-breaking deficits and increasing pollution, it is time to stop the madness.  Let’s not continue to push 1950s-era highway projects in the 21st century.  We can fix the roads we have, improve public transporation and rail and make safer routes for kids and others to get around.

As the new school year approaches, students across New England reflect upon a summer’s worth of fun, events, and relaxation.  For many kids who live in or visit Vermont, Lake Champlain is central to summertime pleasure.  There are many ways to enjoy Champlain, thus plenty of reasons to keep it clean.  This was the idea behind the CLF drawing contest held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival.  The assignment read, “design a card that shows what you love about Lake Champlain and how to keep it clean”.  It was both exciting and heartening to see artistic young minds reflect upon what they valued about Lake Champlain and the environment.  A simple drawing contest such as this can go a long way, ensuring the next generation is engaged in environmental stewardship.  CLF would like to thank the Skinny Pancake and the Echo Center for donating prizes for this contest.  Here are our winners’ lovely drawings:

Audrey, Age 9 (South Burlington)

Kyla, Age 10 (Burlington, VT)

Harper, Age 6 (Bolton, VT)

Zoe, Age 10 (New Market, MD)

Gretchen, Age 7 (Waitsfield, VT)

Anika, Age 9 (Bethel, VT)