We don’t always vote our enviromental values when we go to the voting booth. Make a change this year - examine the environmental integrity of the candidates (or lack thereof).
Grist.org has been giving the lowdown on the green stature of the candidates since the primaries. Make sure you have a look when you’re making up your mind to vote.
Debate question on the environment to the candidates
okay, this video is pretty depressing…
Here’s a Global Warming 101 from National Geographic
I’m giving away several PAST issues of PLENTY. I’d say we have the last 5-6 issues that we’d love to pass along to a loyal reader. We’ve been getting PLENTY for a couple years now and LOVE it.
Leave a comment. I’ll pick a random winner next Friday.
Back at the Green Festival in Chicago, we ran into Joe Hanson from Current TV (and of Beauty and the Geek fame). He was doing his schtick and the final product is finally on Current. it’s a little condescending, but it’s not meant to be of any harm. I laughed a bit.
LIKE JOE’s SHIRT? Buy it from our friends at RECYCLE ME Organic Tees!
No, I’m not Canadian…officially. I have this odd fascination with all things Canada - always have since a kid. Today is Canada Day. So I was searching for some green things on Canada Day. In Whistler, BC, they are hosting the first ever non-motorized Sustainable Canada Day Parade. Also, a carbon tax is beginning in BC.
Maybe I should have given away this book this week. Remember - the giveaway for the Greeneaters book and tote is still going on. Click on the logo on the right and sign up now!
HAPPY CANADA DAY to our neighbors to the north.
“President” Bush has asked the US Congress to open up the way to drill offshore, in the Rockies, and…surprise, surprise, surprise…ANWAR. Why do we have to drill ANWAR when the oil companies already have a shit-ton of land they already own here in the US that they aren’t drilling on that have proven reserves? Is the juice really worth the squeeze?
This speech comes just one day after McBush…err…McCain flip-flopped on his stance and called for Congress to open up drilling. Glad to see the GOP is united in running this country through the hands of lobbyists for energy companies…not alternative energy companies - but oil and coal companies. Maybe Georgie and Dick are looking past their terms and into their future private sector roles. If the drilling is opened up, Bush can make even more money speaking at oil conventions.
Rep. Ed Markey of Mass, Chairman of the House committee on Energy Independence and Global warming had this to say…”After eight years, President Bush and Dick Cheney have turned the GOP into the Gas and Oil Party. That’s the legacy that they are going to leave…The White House has become a ventriloquist for the oil and gas industry, repeating the requests of the oil and gas industry, that they be allowed to destroy the most pristine areas of our country.”
Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, makes a very valid point as well…”Despite what President Bush, John McCain and their friends in the oil industry claim, we cannot drill our way out of this problem.“The math is simple: America has just three percent of the world’s oil reserves, but Americans use a quarter of its oil.”
Bush’s Speech on Call For Oil Production
Bush Loves Oil
Source: CNN
Just a heads up that I’m going to do a couple giveaways soon. Is there interest out there for free stuff? Free green stuff?
Leave your comments and come back!
For all intent and purpose, Earth Day is celebrated this weekend since April 22 is a weekday. On Tuesday, April 22, I plan on going to Green Drinks. This month’s speaker is Sadhu Johnston, the Deputy Mayor of Chicago and also Chicago city chief of the Department of Environment. I’ll report back on Wednesday on that front.
Today started out well. We were concerned that our Saturday would be filled with rain. I am assistant coach of my daughter’s first grade soccer team and we had a game at 9am. We were lucky for a couple reasons - 1. the game fields are in our neighborhood and we walked there - and 2. the rain held off until about 20min after the game ended. I know you’re sitting on the edge of your seat wondering - yes, they won handily - 9-2. I think our key to victory was that we teach our kids position - and they listened - whereas the other teams still swarm.
Our Earth Day Saturday went as planned. The soccer game was great and it was nice that it was first thing in the morning. The next event was to load our car up with household hazardous waste and drive to the city for a recycling event. The in-laws brought over some old paint and batteries for us to recycle as well. We got to the event and had to get in this long line of cars. We thought that was a good sign. People are actually participating - in droves! There were various drop-off points throughout a large parking lot for the different types of recycling. In addition to recycling, they were offering rain barrels and compost bins for sale to residents of the City of Chicago (which we are not), a free CFL and a free Sigg-like water bottle. Here’s what they were accepting for recycling:
Personally, we dropped off two gas cans. They were offering environmentally-friendly replacements in exchange for your old one (but they were out when we got there). We dropped off around 10 gallons of paint if you add up the old gallons, quarts, and pints. We inherited a lot of old paint with our house when we moved here in 2001. We took all of our #5 and #7 plastics that we’ve been saving because they don’t allow us to put them in curbside recycling - that was a relief to finally get rid of that stuff - we had a lot. It was also nice to get rid of all of our old batteries, too.
Now, here’s the real reason we went to the event. We were kinda getting paid to drive to the city to participate. If you brought your old gas-powered lawn mower and gave it to the city, they gave you a certificate for $100 towards the purchase of a human or electric lawn mower. We were pretty excited. I didn’t even have to try to sell my mower on Craigslist or something - I just got a $100 for it. Now we have 45 days to buy a new mower and turn in the receipt and proof-of-purchase and I get my cash. The mower I want is pretty expensive, so getting $100 off is awesome! They even gave me a coupon code from Neuton in which they’ll give you a $100 off - so it’s essentially $200 off a Neuton mower. Too bad that’s not the one I’m buying… STAY TUNED for that post
Earth Day Saturday, Part 2
After the previous event, we headed back to the burbs since the rain had subsided. There is a great state park in our town that was having an Earth Day event from 12-4pm. We arrived there around 2pm. There were all kinds of booths and events happening. It was a real family atmosphere. The kids got to make kites and fly them out on the nature path. They also got to see a wolf and pet a tame skunk. There was a blacksmith there and various “settlers” showing off how they used to live years ago. I saw one guy make fire by bow drilling - I want to learn that. We skipped the face painting, but stopped at the Home Depot section. They gave the kids each a wooden bird house kit that we can make at home.
Overall, it was a really great day. I hope tomorrow - which is supposed to be sunny - is as productive, educational, and fun for all of us. Happy Earth Weekend, everyone!
Al Gore spoke at the TED Conference in February. His 20min presentation plus 10min of Q&A was fascinating. I kept meaning to watch a couple minutes and to watch it later with my wife. Thirty minutes later after it was done I had to start it over again.
He started the presentation by explaining how he’s given the “Inconvenient Truth” presentation over 2,000 times. This was the first time ever delivering this new presentation. You’d have never known it, though. It was filled with interesting graphics and even some video clips.
As with Inconvenient Truth, there are riveting statistics and images. One of them is an image of the polar ice cap in 1980, then the same picture in 2007. Scary stuff! Another great segment is the number of questions asked during presidential debates by each news outlet and how many of them were on climate change. I hate to ruin it for you, but for the hundreds of questions by most news outlets - 2 were about global warming (on average per outlet).
Al Gore is also working on a new book. It’s titled The Path To Survival. When we talked about it in February, the last date we saw was a release date of April 22, Earth Day. It looks like that has been postponed until 2009. Oh well…
I want to thank La Marguerite for bringing this new presentation to my attention.
Now take the 30min - sit back and relax - and listen (and watch) Al Gore’s new presentation.
