Gore, Schwarzenegger Forum in NH

Presidential hopeful (and extreeeeme longshot) McCain announced that Al Gore and Gov. Schwarzenegger are planning a bipartisan forum on energy and climate in NH, in December.

The announcement comes a day before the “bipartisan”  Global Warming and America’s Energy Future forum in CA, featuring Hillary, Obama and Edwards. There is a slight possibility that this forum will not happen, but stay tuned and it will be available via. webcast. Check their website for time, and other info.

 

Fact(s) of the Day

From the Wall Street Journal, “A Consumer’s Guide to Growing Green,” Nov. 12, 2007.
The WSJ is only available with a subscription, but here is an excerpt I really liked:

We’ve become such a throw-away society. How do you fight it?

The EPA says solid waste, per person, has nearly doubled to 4.4 pounds a day from 2.7 pounds in the past 35 years — filling up landfill sites and wasting materials that could be reused to save natural resources and energy.

Although recycling is important, it isn’t as effective as reducing the use of materials from the get-go. One way to do this is to buy goods in concentrated, dry or bulk form to reduce transportation and packaging costs. Favor refillable or reusable items. Pick flexible packaging materials instead of rigid packaging, since flexible packaging typically takes less energy to make and transport. Pick goods with the highest ratio of product weight to packaging weight, when possible. Example: tuna in a foil pouch rather than in metal cans.

 

Grist, in coalition with a few other groups, will host the first ever “Global Warming and America’s Energy Future” forum with three confirmed presidential candidates: Hillary, Dennis Kucinich, and John Edwards. Check Grist’s website for info. on how to watch online, and post-coverage. The other candidates seem to be MIA from this discussion…

Who’s missing, you ask?

All of the Republicans, and Barack O’Bama (among other Dem. hopefuls…)!!

Check out grist’s info on how “green” each candidate is.

 

NYTimes Climate Blog: “DOT EARTH”

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs that focus on environmental issues. I just want to highlight this particular one, because it will be authored by Andy Revkin, a science writer at the New York Times whose work I really enjoy!

The introduction:

By 2050 or so, the world population is expected to reach nine billion, essentially adding two Chinas to the number of people alive today. Those billions will be seeking food, water and other resources on a planet where, scientists say, humans are already shaping climate and the web of life. In Dot Earth, reporter Andrew C. Revkin examines efforts to balance human affairs with the planet’s limits. Supported in part by a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, Mr. Revkin tracks relevant news from suburbia to Siberia, and conducts an interactive exploration of trends and ideas with readers and experts.

 

Limbaugh Lashing – Follow Up

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is a traditionally conservative media voice in Alaska, however it has publicly defended the testimony of college student and Alaska Youth Environment Action leader Cheryl Lockwood in the face of ignorant ridicule from (unsurprisingly) Rush Limbaugh.

Further, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has written a letter to the editor about this issue, and Limbaugh’s poor conduct; it is reassuring that the Senators representing this courageous young person do have comments now.