Green Politics Part Deux

Who says today's youth doesn't care? Even though our generation barely has the attention span to make it through a Tivo'd episode of The Hills, we know there's lots of us out there who care about the issues and actually do something about it to boot. And as proof (and inspiration) that the younger generation really does have something to say about global warming, we've let one of our favorite collegiate students--CALVIN SLOAN--take the post this week... Calvin's tackling the subject of how Congress has been handling the issue of global warming. The good news is that Congress is finally talking about it. The bad news is that their proposed acts leave a lot to be desired. Without further ado...here's what Cal has to say on the subject:

Why is it that America rewards short-term corporate profits over long-term human needs? Our imperialistic response to fossil fuel depletion and global warming science proves that our policymakers are beholden to special interest. With each unregulated, CO2-emitting day that passes, we bare witness to the power of lobbying for King Coal, Big Oil, and other polluting industries. Since the United States’ oil production peaked in 1970, American politicians have been morally obligated to develop alternative energy sources. Just as England was damaged by its inability to shift from a coal-based society to one of petro, the U.S. will eventually suffer for not being able to make the green transition. The emergence of greenhouse gas science in the late 80’s should have catalyzed this political obligation, but had no initial effect upon public policy. Unfortunately, although it is the people who politicians are suppose to serve, it has been corporations who have received the representation.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was created in 1988, and released their first report in 1990. We have waited until 2007, and FINALLY there are bills on the House and Senate floors that address climate change. Numerous climate bills are under debate and gaining traction in the House and Senate. Unfavorably, the Lieberman-Warner proposal has gained prominence on the Senate floor. The bill bases itself off a flawed cap-and-trade system, contains gratuitous subsidies for outdated industries, and, regardless of it potentially gaining strong support from Democrats, will be shot down by either a Republican filibuster or Presidential veto through 2008. In a cap-and-trade system, polluters are given a limit for the amount of CO2 emissions they are allowed to emit. Based upon this limit, companies are financially rewarded or punished for their capability to arrive below or above the limit. These government-allocated polluting allowances can then be traded or saved for future use by a company. Thus, there becomes an economic incentive to decrease CO2 pollution. In practice though, the desired effect of this system, reducing CO2 emissions, has not been achieved. One simply has to observe the European Union Emission Trading Scheme that has overseen a rise in both emissions and corporate profits to understand that shifting CO2 into a market commodity only increases corruption. The system is not a stupid one, it’s just very hard to implement correctly.

There are certain issues that are non-negotiable. The climate crisis has to be approached with this maxim in mind. We must look at what the science says and act upon it. In contrast to what is presented in the mainstream media, the scientific consensus on what needs to be done is strongly supported and clearly defined. We must cut CO2 emissions 80 percent by the year 2050. According to the most current IPCC report, a reduction of this magnitude will give us a 50/50 chance of reducing man-made warming to a manageable level.

The sky and planet are our property. The government is our property. It’s time we started taking it back.

Thanks, Cal....For more info on ALL the different bills pertaining to global warming right now, click here. Your vote is arguably your strongest tool for change in this country so make sure you consider your candidate's stance on Climate Change when you cast your ballot in the primaries this coming year. We must demand our government get involved in solving the crisis of climate change now!

Wildfires and Global Warming: What's the Real Deal?

For the last few weeks wildfires burned their way through California, sparking the debate whether these fires were a result of climate change. Is this disaster that caused the largest evacuation in California state history just a taste of what is to come? Has climate change accelerated this quickly?

There have been all sorts of "news" reports (we use that term lightly...) on the topic which ran the gamut from "global warming causes wild fires" to "the fires have nothing to do with climate change" and everything in between. Confused? We were! So Green is the New Pink did a little investigating and now we'll break it all down for you...

Have their really been more wildfires lately or is that just media hype?

SADLY, IT'S THE TRUTH.

• According to the NRDC, the 2006 wildland fire season set new records in both the number of reported fires and in acres burned. There were close to 100,000 fires and nearly 10 million acres burned, 125 % above the 10-year average.

• As of October 29, 2007, 76,451 large fires have burned 8,251,275 acres. That puts 2007 on a pace to rival the record-setting 2006 fire season.
• There were four times as many major wildfires between 1986 and 2004 as there were from 1970 to 1986, and a six-fold increase in the area of forest burned in the Western United States.
• The wildfire season has also extended by 78 days in the period of 1987 to 2003 compared to 1970 through 1986. (This does not include the last few years which were some of the most intense on record).

Is Global Warming to blame for the increased, more intense wildfires?

YES, ALONG WITH OTHER FACTORS. As with any event in nature, you usually can't pin down just ONE CAUSE for something. Our eco system is a complex inter-related system where a variety of factors contribute to natural disasters. However, with that being said,

In a scientific paper published in 2006, by Tom Swetnam of the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, and Anthony Westerling, of the University of California-San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, it was concluded that the changing climate was a greater influence on wildfire activity and intensity than forest management. (Click here for the whole study) . Here's how Westerling explained it:

"What really drives the fire season is the temperature. When you have a warm spring and early summer, you get earlier snowmelt. With the snowmelt coming out a month earlier, areas then get drier earlier overall and there is a longer season in which a fire can be started—there's more opportunity for ignition."

So because global warming can cause higher temperatures and drought conditions (another factor in fires spreading...the drier the landscape, the quicker it burns), it is a very large factor in why wildfires have been so intense and so prevalent in recent years.

So does that mean these fires are caused by global warming?

NO. YOU STILL NEED THAT INITIAL SPARK TO ACTUALLY START A FIRE. This could come from a variety of sources...campfires, an accidental lit match, arson or lightning. HOWEVER...once a fire starts, global warming is responsible for the conditions (see above) which cause the fires to be so much more intense and to last for so much longer.

If Global Warming is to blame for the increase in wildfires, why did the Los Angeles Times say that "Global Warming not a factor" in the current Southern California fires?

BECAUSE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S CLIMATE IS DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. The same climate study noted above "found Southern California was different from the rest of the West, with no increase in the frequency of fire as temperatures rose." As Westerling explains: "In Southern California, it's hot and dry much of the year." Thus, we are not as affected by early springs and snowmelt, because we CONSISTENTLY have fire-prone weather. Not exactly great news.

In addition, in the future, global warming could make Southern California's droughts even more persistent, exacerbating the fire danger. Global warming could also intensify wind flow (another factor in how far the wildfires spread) by increasing the difference between inland and coastal temperatures. So whether or not these SoCal fires have been impacted at all by global warming, the Times reports that in the future fires in Southern California will most likely be negatively impacted by the effects of global warming.

The Bottom Line?

While non-global warming believers will try to convince that the link between wildfires and climate change is hype, there IS an undeniable connection between the two which will only increase in the coming years (unless we are able to combat the causes of global warming).

Hope that clears up the misconceptions....keep spreading the correct info....knowledge is power!

The 11th Hour

Thursday, September 6, 2007 7:20pm Arclight Cinemas - Theatre 3 1 large popcorn with butter, 1 small sprite and 1 water Jessica and Lydia (AKA Siskel and Ebert) saw The 11th Hour- a documentary produced by Leo DiCaprio about the alarming effects of global warming on the planet and the need for humans to take action now. Movie's logline - Turn mankind's darkest hour into it's finest Scariest fact: "It's 11:59 and 59 seconds. Take action now!" This is what we thought of it:

Lydia: I loved it! Beautiful Planet Earth like images of our majestic planet, sea to shining sea type stuff all set to the haunting swoons of Sigur Ros. Through interviews with scientists, scholars and spiritual leaders, the movie illustrates the interconnectedness between humans and nature and therefore, the negative effect human industrialization has had on the planet in the last 200 years. Our detachment from nature has created a void we have filled with consumer goods. Consumer goods produced in our current disposable, consumption society have ravaged the natural resources of the planet. The earth has incredible self healing capabilities (fish can purify the water, the sun can power our industry, trees can stop flooding), but we have cut down the trees, and pumped chemicals into the ocean that killed the fish. Natural disasters we see around the world today are the canaries in the coal mine of what is to come. But the future is not bleak, we have the technology and capability to create a society that runs on clean, renewable energy but the government has not created taxes or incentives for it to flourish. Once fossil fuels are taxed and clean energy programs are subsidized we will have the beginning of the new era. The movie shows the amazing architecture, design and technology that is to come (all the technology we were promised in the Jetson's is finally possible!)

If you want to scare yourself into action go see the movie. http://11thhouraction.com/

Jessica: Not to be the downer here, but I was not as enthusiastic as Lyd. She failed to mention she has had a crush on Leo since The Titanic and is thus, very biased. My opnion...

CONS: It was less of an entertaining documentary and more of a composite of scientists talking...which was interesting...but more of a lecture, not a full-on movie experience. PRO/CON: That being said, though, another reason it was difficult to watch was that it really hammers home the point that the problems facing us now are very real, big and scary. And that can be hard to hear. Though the scientific community has confirmed again and again that humans are contributing to global warming, I think we all still secretly want to believe the pseudo-science that seems to be everywhere telling us global warming is a "hoax" or not as bad as everyone is predicting. Why wouldn't you want to believe that? It's better than hearing that human kind is going to die out--and it requires less of us, too.

So when you hear the scientists that Leo interviews say, "For all the talk of 'Save the Earth', it's actually not the Earth that needs to be saved. Earth will eventually even itself back out again...it's humans that will need to be saved because we won't be able to live on Earth anymore....", you may want to duck out of the movie theatre and promptly stick your head in some sand. And we all know how well that technique works at solving problems...
PROS: Finally...the most interesting point of the movie, to me, was this...we all have that friend, family member or co-worker who refuse to do anything for the environement. They say, "They've been talking about global warming for years. It's alarmist, it's not as bad as they say, etc., etc., etc.". And THAT is their reason not to recycle or get solar energy at their house or buy CFL's. But the truth is, even if you don't believe in global warming...there are a billion reasons to be supporting the green movement which are all illustrated in the film. Don't we WANT more research on electric and hybrid cars, if not for the global warming factor, for the fact that our air is dirtier than ever and it causes more and more children to have asthma each year? Or for the fact that it would reduce our reliance on foreign oil and bring more jobs to the U.S.? Don't we WANT companies to stop dumping their gross crud into our oceans...again if not for the sake of global warming, then because everyone enjoys a day at a clean beach and because you don't want you kid swimming in oceans with toxicity levels that rival power plants or running in the sand and getting a syringe in the foot? There are a ton more examples in the film of how being green can not only help us reverse the effects of global warming, but how it can help our nation's health, economy and safety. So, at the end of the day, I would still recommend this film....there are worse ways to spend $11....and then after you see it, you can sound even smarter as you talk to your defiantly "non-green" friends and family and explain there are a LOT of reasons to be doing things the green way...whether you "believe in" global warming or not.


...And so went the discussion as Jessica and Lydia had dinner and drinks after the movie...
9:30 - midnight
Magnolia - back patio
1 Goat Cheese Salad, 1 Arugula Salad and lots of wine...

Finally, a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep

Looking for a meaningful New Year’s resolution that you can actually stick to and brag about at dinner parties? No, it’s not losing weight, cutting bangs or converting to Scientology. Those things are hard. This, dear friend, is a resolution that is easy to incorporate into your life and will work for you all year long (actually 7 years or more, but we’ll get to that…)

Switch all the light bulbs in your house to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs! It’s honestly sooooo easy and this one tiny life change will have HUGE effects and drastically help reduce your personal carbon emissions.

We know some of you may have heard about these “low energy” bulbs, but you never followed through. Maybe you didn’t realize what a difference they made, maybe you didn’t know where to start—-where do you get them, can they fit in your favorite lamp, are they expensive? Now you’ll have no excuse…

Quick Facts about compact fluorescent bulbs

• They use 1/3 the energy of average light bulbs! If you replaced just 3 of your bulbs for CFL’s, you’d save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. The more bulbs you replace, the more carbon emissions you reduce.

• They last about 10 times longer than an average bulb, approximately seven years. (An amazing thing if you’re like us and absolutely hate changing light bulbs all the time!)

• They produce 70% less heat than an average bulb, saving your need for air conditioning due to excess heat from you light bulbs.

• The come in all the same wattages as regular light bulbs and they fit in all your standard light sockets.

• The lights in our homes contribute 10%-20% of our overall energy costs. If you replace just 5 bulbs, you’ll save over $100 on electricity bills over the course of the year.

• You can find them in the grocery store, drug store and hardware store right next to the incandescent bulbs. EVEN BETTER, they sell them on Amazon, too. So you can click on the Amazon link on the sidebar RIGHT NOW and start your New Year’s Resolution today….

Choosing the Right Compact Florescent Light Bulbs
So, you need to teach yourself a new light bulb language with the Compact Florescent Bulbs (CFL’s). Since they use so much less energy to operate than incandescent bulbs, a 15 watts CFL puts out the same amount of light as a 6o watt traditional light bulb. Most boxes will say what the conversion is, but you can also look for the lumen rating (a lumen rating is the measure of light the bulb puts out,) on your old bulbs to find the compact fluorescent that gives the same amount of light.

Is this fluorescent light going to make me look fat?

No!! This is not the fluorescent light from your middle school bathroom or Nordstrom’s dressing rooms. These bulbs actually have a few different color temperatures for you to choose from. From “soft and cozy” to “daylight” you will find a bulb glow to fit your needs.

Size does Matter

There are tons of different kinds of Compact Florescent Bulbs in many shapes, sizes, wattages and colors to fit your every need, whether it’s a ceiling fan, your romantic dimmer lights, sconces or even outdoor flood lights. We found THE MOST HANDY GUIDE EVER to help you find the best energy efficient light bulbs for you and make sure you’re never caught in a patch of bad lighting again. (“I don't get it. Did my hair get flat? Did I stumble into some bad lighting? What's wrong with me?” Cher, Clueless)

Are they hard to find?

No. They are sold in all locations regular light bulbs are sold! Or order from Amazon.com if you’re the type that doesn’t like leaving the house. Also, price-wise they are pretty comparable to the incandescent bulbs…but if you do end up paying a few dollars more for them, you will more than make up for it in your electricity bills.

Your First Successful Resolution Ever.

If every U.S. household made a "5 light change", together we'd keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of our air--the equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road for an entire year.

So, say it with us, “In 2007 I will replace all the light bulbs in my house with compact fluorescent bulbs.” Now get to it.

Sweet Charity Gift Guide

Ok Team the holiday season is def underway which you probably noticed the day after Thanksgiving when your local starbucks transformed into a “magical” winter wonderland and started peddling gingerbread lattes instead of pumpkin caramel macchiato. We really got worried when the local outdoor mall that looks like a fake movie set started blowing bubbles in our face and calling it snow. Or maybe that’s just here in LA, but never the less if you need last minute gift ideas you are in luck! We found some fab charities that you can donate to in the name of your loved ones instead of continuing the meaningless commercial cycle of mindless giving.

Perfect for the green gal or guy on the go, check out these express gift option sites:

Offset Gifts

Tickle Me Elmo, IPods and Playstations are a thing of the past. Kids these days are clamoring for… carbon emission offsets! And you don’t have to campout overnight or Give your family or coworkers the gift of offsetting their carbon emissions and their impact on global warming for the coming year.

But, uh, what the heck is a Carbon Offsetting?

A carbon offset zeros out (offsets) all or part of the carbon dioxide emissions of a party, by reducing the emissions -- or increasing the carbon dioxide absorption -- of another party. This reduces net greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of combating global warming. Effectively offsetting the emissions of an activity makes that activity "carbon neutral". (wikipedia.org)

http://www.carbonneutral.com/
Give someone the gift of a clean green conscience for the year. You can pay to erase someone’s yearly carbon imprint for their car, their home or their air travel. Your donations are invested into companies who support green energy. Or dedicate a tree in their name which helps neutralize our energy use (remember trees clean the air of co2). This company is well funded and structured; this is no back yard tree planting operation. They ensure your tree will be forested for at least 99 years. What a lovely gift for someone’s first holiday! For green baby gift seekers, check out this package: they receive two trees in their name and a little pair of monkey booties. Awwww…

http://www.nativeenergy.com/
“With Native Energy, you can help finance and build new clean and renewable energy projects that help Native Americans and Alaska Natives create sustainable economic benefits, and that help America’s family farmers compete with agribusiness. These projects will displace electricity from fossil fuels and reduce other greenhouse gas emissions on your behalf, making up for the CO₂ emissions you can’t avoid.” Can’t argue with that, eh.

CarbonFund.org
This site has a fantastic calculator to figure out your personal carbon “footprint” and then give money to offset your impact.

TerraPass.com
Yet another great site to offset your home, vehicle or flight emissions for the year. Yeah, offsetting!!!!

Trees for the Future

Give 450 trees in someone’s name for $45 dollars. Lovely. Remember it takes four trees to offset one persons CO2 emissions for one month. So for $45 dollars you are offsetting your brother’s/grandma’s/pet pup’s carbon emissions for 9 whole years. Sounds economical to us.

Magazines

Ok, so this isn’t the US Magazine subscription you may have secretly been hoping your roommate would get you, but the upside is you can actually read these in public without being judged.

Greenlight Magazine

We all love to get magazine subscriptions for gifts, check out greenlight. Their mission is curiously like ours; “…greenlight is a magazine for the ordinary person who wants to live well but also contribute to improving the state of the planet. This person doesn’t have a lot of time to investigate what’s good and what’s not. greenlight will let readers know how to make better decisions in their purchases and activities.” We may have to challenge them to a duel.

Good Magazine (**high gloss alert**)

This magazine is as chic as Dwell and has the street creed of Vice. If you like AdBusters you will flip for Good. This mag is for people like you, dear readers, people who “give a damn.” Link to their mission statement for the more eloquent version. When you buy a subscription to this magazine, they donate 100% of your money to a charity of your choice. The greeny options for donations are Oceana and World Wildlife Fund.

Environmental Sustainability

Oxfam - www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com

Ultra “save the world” gifters, this is your mothership. Give a village a cow for $75 or plant a garden for $115 all in the name of your loved ones.

The Heifer Foundation - http://beta.blogger.com/www.heifer.org

Give a honey bee hive to a family for $30. Your family supplements their income by selling the honey and wax and they get to make really good peanut butter and honey sandwiches. The bee’s pollination can double the fruit and vegetable yield of the surrounding area which helps the entire village thrive. Click Here for Heifer Foundation's Express Giving Link.

Church World Services

For only $15 you can give a family seeds and tools to plant a garden. Or donate to a portion of a deep water well that provides a village with water in times of drought.

World Wildlife Fund

Forget about a pony, you know you’ve always wanted a long distance pet polar bear or a cute little pygmy elephant. Adopt an endangered animal for as low as $25 dollars

P.S. If you don’t know how these endangered animals relate to global warming, call a family member in 3rd or 4^th grade for an explanation.

Oceana

71% of the earth is covered in ocean so we need to keep it healthy and clean. That’s right, those kids from your middle school in tie-dyed shirts had it right all along: Save the Whales! Adopt a dolphin, whale or shark by donating to this site.

Lydia’s personal Charity Giving Recs

If you’re more of a humanitarian than a “greeny”, we won’t be picky about your choice for charity. Both of these two wonderful organizations are run by members of my family or close family friends. So you can rest assured your money is being put to good use.

http://www.manassehschildren.org/

My dad’ best friend, Dr. Jake Sinclair and his wife Lee, founded this charity in Africa. Mannesh's Children helps street children who have lost their parents to AIDS find safe homes with a family. Help stop the cycle of poverty and AIDS in Africa by doing more than wearing a trendy white rubber band.

Ama Ghar (Motherly Home) - http://www.ama-foundation.org/

My dad’s cousin Bonnie Ellison runs this orphanage in Nepal; they have 36 orphans who receive phenomenal care and education. I visited them in 2004 and was so blessed to have met these wonderful children. $500 supports one child for an entire year!

Lyd and Jenuka Check out the other cuties here.

Thanks to all our green readers who contributed suggestions for this post, please continue to post comments to the blog or email us with thoughts and opinions

Happy Holidays from the team at Green is the New Pink!