image courtesy of John Althouse Cohen

I’ve been battling a cold the last several days, and have been spending some time catching up on my newsreader. I came across some wonderful things—some inspiring, some thought-provoking, and some pure policy wonk stuff—that I wanted to share with you.

First off—a place where inspiration and policy-wonkness meet! The Center for American Progress and the United Nations Foundation have released a new study that shows that, in addition to being the smart and right thing to do, cutting carbon emissions makes great economic sense. If we put our efforts on the lowest-hanging fruit—energy efficiency, reforestation, and renewable energy technology—we stand to save $14 billion over the next 10 years. That’s a lot of ducats to put into further changes.

Next up is an essay reminding us of an important distinction in our conversations about climate change. The systems that support our societies are far more vulnerable and less resilient than is nature itself. So when we talk about environmental devastation, we should be clear that what’s on the line are the achievements of human culture—the levels of health, wealth, material security, education, morality, and understanding that we’ve achieved through coming together in ever-larger groups. Do you want to leave your kids a Mad Max world or a bright green one? That’s really the question we are answering.

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image by Soil-Science.info

How many of us city dwellers ever think about where our power comes from? Or the consequences of our energy consumption? NY Loves Mountains is on a mission to change that, to connect the dots between the people in the Five Boroughs and where the energy we use every day comes from—largely the mountains of Appalachia, and the filthy, outdated process of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining.

The NY Loves Mountains Festival, organized by The Sunny Way’s own Sarah Moon and her partner Stephanie Pistello, is happening this weekend. Here’s a run down of the events—you can read more about them at the NY Loves Mountains site.

• First up is a reading of the play Light Comes, written and directed by Sarah, which loops through history and geography to explore the relationships between energy and culture. I saw an earlier version of this play last year and was really inspired by it. I can’t wait to see where she’s taken it now! The reading will take place Friday night (tomorrow) at 8 pm, at the Philip Coltoff Center, 219 Sullivan Street, with a reception to follow. If you come, please find me and Rich and Victoria and say hi.
• Saturday there will be a Fossil Fools Demonstration and Scavenger Hunt starting at the south end of Union Square. Four stations will ask questions and provide information about why and how we can and must get off of fossil fuels. I also hear there will be bike-powered smoothies available.
• Sunday wraps things up with a concert featuring Ben Sollee, Silas House, and Demolition String Band @ The Bell House, 149 7th St., Gowanus, Brooklyn. Tickets are $17 and available here.

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This is the second part of my recap of the 350 Conference at Columbia on Saturday, May 2nd. Read Part 1.

The afternoon of the 350 conference started out with a panel presentation on Climate Law, Policy, and Economics. First up was Michael Gerrard, an environmental lawyer and director of the Center for Climate Law at Columbia. His speech centered on legislative and regulatory responses to climate change. His view differed from Dr. Hansen’s in that he thinks that neither a carbon tax nor a cap and trade scheme are enough—both can be easily made porous, and both leave out large segments of the economy.

He supports massive regulation to close the holes that will inevitably open up in carbon taxing or cap and trade: technology standards, efficiency standards for appliances and other machinery, utility regulation, road use pricing, a floor price for gasoline, land use regulations to end sprawl, agricultural regulation to end soil-degrading practices, and, most controversially, regulation on advertising that encourages high levels of consumption. We have limits on advertising for harmful things like cigarettes and liquor, he said, so why not put limitations on ads for big cars, cheap imported stuff, and other environmentally harmful products? He showed this famous image and suggested that the U.S. Government put together a program to promote thrift and efficiency.

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image by Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Last Saturday, I attended the 350 Conference at Columbia University with Sarah and Rich. Organized by students in the Masters Program in Climate and Society, the speakers looked into climate change from many different angles. Most were scientists, focused on the facts.

NASA’s James Hansen—the outspoken climate change researcher who the Bush administration famously tried to silence—started off the day with an overview of the data that led him to the conclusion that we need to keep CO2 levels at or below 350 parts per million in order to preserve the climate in which we evolved. This is a far lower goal than many suggested levels, but Hansen’s research shows that around 450 ppm, ice melts and cannot refreeze, leading to a sharp rise in sea level and massive catastrophe around the world. He argues for a simple carbon tax—about $1 a gallon, with all the proceeds to be rebated to the American people—to change behaviors and get us off fossil fuels.

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image by Roberto Garcia-S

Alright—so the biggest good news, affirmed again in an awesome talk I went to last night—is that evolution is real and happening. It is always good to think about this again.

The speaker was Michael Dowd, a self proclaimed “Evolutionary Evangelist.” He transformed from a fundamental Christian into a preacher of the awe-inspiring truth of evolution and the practical as well as spiritual significance of the knowledge of it. For example: We now know how our brains developed over millions of years, from the amphibian/limbic part, to the mammalian/emotional bonding section, to mind and interpretative capacities in the neo-cortex and finally to the anterior cortex, whose neurons light up when we make the effort to hold ourselves to a commitment—say, a marriage vow.

As we all find out on a daily basis, our center of gravity unfortunately is not yet located in this more evolved part of our brains, so even if we make decisions or commitments in one moment, we are thrown by uncertainty and desires, left, right and center in the next. But knowing about the differences in these parts of our brains we can interpret our own experience, of lust, say, or of our willingness to sacrifice our principles to get what we want in a very different context.

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The end of March brought amazing news in the fight to stop mountain top removal that has continued to blossom right in step with spring.

On March 24th, Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, announced a decision to halt and review two mountain top removal mining permits, which by extension suspends 100 valley fill permits that would bury hundreds of miles of streams in Appalachia. Explaining this action, President Obama said, “…I want science to help lead us. I know that the Bush administration made some decisions pretty late in the day, at the end of their administration, on this issue. We want to reexamine it.” The exciting news spread fast and furious throughout the media outlets and by the end of the day everybody seemed to be saying hosannahs.

The next day brought more good news when Senator Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Cardin (D-MD) introduced the Appalachian Restoration Act, a companion bill to the House’s Clean Water Protection Act. This act would amend the Clean Water Act to prevent the dumping of toxic mining waste from mountain top removal into streams and rivers. “It is not necessary to destroy our mountaintops in order to have coal,” announced Alexander.

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image by Roberto Garcia-S

Yesterday I signed my business up for the Berkshares, meaning that my Pilates studio in Stockbridge, MA (in Berkshire County) will accept this local currency. It works just like a dollar, and because 100 US Dollars are worth 105 Berkshares, the customer receives a 5% discount simply by using them. Several hundred businesses participate in this scheme and millions of Berkshares have circulated through the local economy. And that is the point: to strengthen businesses and trade in this area.

Alternative currencies or trade systems have existed in a large number of places all over the world, ever since 1934, when the WIR Bank was founded in Switzerland. There are a lot of different approaches, some using actual currency, some, as time banks, crediting people for the hours they spend working for others that they can then trade in for services they need. One of the better known systems here is LETS, as well as the Ithaca Hour (worth 10 dollars) or the Toronto dollar. In economically tough times, these alternative methods of payments or barter systems make particular sense, connecting people without work but skills to offer and people without dollars but the need for help.

And as a sign of just how well accepted these concepts can become: Ithaca has the first credit union now accepting an alternative currency as mortgage payments!

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image by yogasanft

The Brooklyn Green Team celebrated their 1-year anniversary last month.  They threw a party with prizes and speeches read from a Blackberry (so as not to squander paper!), and unveiled their new Superheroes video. Here’s what else happened:

The “Yes We Can” volunteer challenge was unleashed!
Participants commit to donating 3 hours of your time in three months to an organization of your choice. I signed myself up, not knowing exactly where I would fill my three hours, but a few days later, a neighbor called me to help her plan her vegetable beds at a nearby neighborhood garden/bird sanctuary.  So that’s where I’ll be.  I have been a home gardener for years, but have not really shared what I know and my overall interest with other active gardeners.  I hope to contribute my gardening skills, learn new tricks, and meet new people at this community vegetable garden, where all the food grown is donated to a nearby soup kitchen.

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image by Roberto Garcia-S

Inspiring news from across the fronts…

Medicine first…
The United States is just beginning to move ahead on stem-cell research while other countries, like India, are far ahead. A couple of winters ago I met Amanda, in Aspen, CO,  a passionate skier who had been a paraplegic for 15 years due to an accident on the mountain. She refused to be victimized by her disability and founded a charity that helps others with disabilities enjoy mountain-sports. For the past year and a half, she has been traveling to India to receive stem-cell treatments. The results are extraordinary – she is able to feel her legs again, can control her bladder and she began to walk assisted by braces and a walker. Here is a video of her tackling the streets of New Delhi.

While there are still a lot of open questions about stem-cell research and its safety, especially in the long term, it is hard not to marvel at the miracle of this technology…and Amanda’s guts to be a pioneer.

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Tomorrow, January 31, there will be a combo celebration/education event promoting sunny solar power!! The Brooklyn Green Team will celebrate, “One year of Action” at Bar Reis in Brooklyn.  Other environmental organizations will be present including Solar One which will be set up to educate guests on why NYC is a prime candidate for building a solar power system with Photovoltaics (PV).  They will be explaining their legislative initiative to make NY the region’s solar capital and will be set up for you to write letters to your legislators straightaway.

Last week, I attended an event about Solar Power organized by the Metro NYC Environmental Meetup group.  It was held at Solar One where Chris Neidl presented a thorough investigation of the reasons why NYC is a prime location for generating solar power.  NYC uses more energy than some developed countries.  We also use energy intensely and creatively for all kinds of artistic, innovative endeavors.  So, we need a better type of electricity to power our urban culture.  There are so many characteristics that make NYC a good candidate for going solar.  Here’s a list of a few of them:

• New York is 65% sunnier than Germany; currently the # 1 producer of solar power from PVs. If they can do it so can we.
• NYC has an abundance of flat surfaces— roofs! for installing PV panels
• Generating our own energy within the city limits could greatly reduce our drain on the regional energy grid during times of peak use-the summer, and so decrease blackouts.
• We use the greatest amount of energy (in summer) when the sun is shining brightest.  By installing PV panels on our rooftops we could be generating power right when we need it most—creating synergistic events!
• The price of PV technology continues to decrease with increased acceptance.  Part of the price includes labor costs and this decreases as installers become more efficient and knowledgeable with each installation.
• PV technology would displace building generators (kick in during times of peak energy demand) which create lots of particulate matter, contributing to smog, which exacerbates asthma.  Going solar would clean up our air and our children’s health.

In this video, a group of tenants share their story of how they went about putting solar panels on their Manhattan apartment building.  It’s a great example of a group working with NY State legislators to expand government incentives for solar power to a greater section of the population.  For more information on the New York Solar Initiative, click here.

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image by Roberto Garcia-S

Now that we have a new president, it feels as though the 21st century has finally started. Of course, I’m still waiting on my jetpack and my robot maid, but in the meantime, there’s lots of amazing stuff being done in every quarter to get the new world jumpstarted.

First off, the incredible organization that helped President Obama win the election is now being transformed into a network of service to renew America. For a long time, the movements for change in this country and around the world have operated largely independently of each other, focused on their own missions without being organized on a larger level. Efforts have been made to connect these autonomous groups, but without massive funding and public awareness, each network only contains a small piece of the puzzle. I’m hoping that USAService.org grows into a nationwide, widely publicized umbrella for everyone who wants to change the world so that we can be aware of what’s going on and work together intelligently.

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image by wildxplorer

The Climate Change exhibit at the Museum of Natural History is currently on display and I encourage everyone who can make the trip to see it to do so. A few weeks ago, I went to learn as much as I could about it. It was very informative, with plenty of interactive exhibits and two short movies.

The exhibit is straight forward and scientific. It clearly presents the evidence supporting the existence of climate change, going into great depth on how the rate at which we are burning fossil fuels has thrown off the balance of the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is pretty amazing, a checks and balance system between several reservoirs of carbon: the atmosphere, the land (plants and soil), sedimentary rock, the ocean and fossil fuel reserves. Through burning fossil fuels (essentially, burning history) we are releasing a greater proportion of CO2 into the atmosphere that has to be absorbed by the other reservoirs.  The perspective represented in the exhibit doesn’t place blame on humans, but does put the pressure on us to figure out clean ways to generate energy.

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image by Roberto Garcia-S

Good news stories on the environmental front were a little harder to come by this month but all that changed now, with the best news we could have been hoping for—Barack Obama winning the presidential election in a landslide. YES!!!! Like he said, this is our chance, and it really is OURS, to not just set things right, but begin building a new vision. He promised, in an e-mail to all those who gave time, money, talent etc. that he would soon be in touch about the next steps. I can’t think of anything more exciting!

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Lookie what we did!!!!

I’m overjoyed that Barack Obama will soon be our president, and am transfixed by his beautiful, heartfelt, and egoless acceptance speech. By now, I’m sure most everyone has seen it, but it feels right to put it up here anyway, if only to save me the trouble of searching YouTube when I want to watch it again.

The part that got me the most was President-Elect Obama’s appeal to the voters who voted Republican. “As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.”

I also loved his focus on our ability to grow and change and evolve. “Our union can be perfected,” he said. “What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.”

The work doesn’t stop here—it is just beginning. But this is a truly historic day, and I’m bursting with excitement to answer Obama’s call to realize the potential of what we can be.

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image by Roberto Garcia-S

The Sunny Way is committed to envisioning and creating a magnificent future for all of us. Right now, this also means facing things head-on, even if they are very scary. History has shown that humans always rise to the challenge of developing, when the old options are running out. And in order to do that, to forge a different path in culture and our own way of looking at life, seeing things how they really are is everything.

So this week we heard that carbon emissions are still on the rise. While scientists are ringing alarm bells even louder, people are beginning or continuing to take things into their own hands.

Al Gore, for one thinks it’s time: “We have reached a point of Civil Disobedience,” he said in a Panel Discussion at Clinton’s Global Initiative in New York. In particular, he encouraged young people to prevent the construction of coal plants that do not have the technology to capture and sequester carbon.

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