In June 1989 President Bush proposed sweeping revisions to the Clean Air Act....(T)he President proposed legislation designed to curb three major threats to the nation's environment and to the health of millions of Americans: acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions. The proposal also called for establishing a national permits program to make the law more workable, and an improved enforcement program to help ensure better compliance with the Act.

By large votes, both the House of Representatives (401-21) and the Senate (89-11) passed Clean Air bills that contained the major components of the President's proposals. Both bills also added provisions requiring the phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals....The Senate and House bills also added specific research and development provisions, as well as detailed programs to address accidental releases of toxic air pollutants.

....The President received the Bill from Congress on November 14, 1990 and signed it on November 15,1990.

Coal-fired power plants are commonly identified as the nation's biggest emissions villain. But that notoriety hasn't slowed the rush to build them in Texas, where there are nearly 30 coal plants either operating, permitted or proposed.

What has given many folks pause is the amount of water consumed by the plants.

Thermoelectric power plants - those that use heat to generate power, such as nuclear, coal and natural gas - are the single largest user of water in the United States. In Texas alone, they consume 157 billion gallons annually - enough water for more than 3 million people, each using 140 gallons per day, a recent University of Texas at Austin analysis found.

"The Sierra Club applauds this stopgap measure, but it is not enough," said Pennsylvania Sierra Club Director Jeff Schmidt. "We are appalled that the Pennsylvania Senate failed to pass a natural gas severance tax, a state forest protection bill, or other Marcellus gas-related legislation before adjourning. Senate leadership has chosen to put political campaigning ahead of the needs of the people of Pennsylvania."

"We are delighted with this solar power project in the two south Houston schools -- It not only demonstrates the best direction for Texas clean energy future, it also provides real benefits to the schools and the young people," said Sierra Club's Jennifer Powis. "The school district is expected to save over $10,000 annually in reduced electricity bills and the students will study and learn how solar power works."

"There is nothing more eloquent in Nature than a mountain stream, and this is the first I ever saw. Its banks are luxuriantly peopled with rare and lovely flowers and overarching trees, making one of Nature's coolest and most hospitable places. Every tree, every flower, every ripple and eddy of this lovely stream seemed solemnly to feel the presence of the great Creator. Lingered in this sanctuary a long time thanking the Lord with all my heart for his goodness in allowing me to enter and enjoy it."

• Activists in Minneapolis, Minnesota are hosting a public transit outing and rally to highlight how to take public transit to green space around the city.
• The local Sierra Club group in Binghamton, NY is organizing a Global Work(out) Party to ditch the car and get active on bicycles - a talk on bicycling with the mayor and other officials will be followed by a group bike ride along the river.
• In Las Vegas, Nevada, activists are hosting a Walk Party to raise awareness for livability in the city.

Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Mary Anne Hitt rallies against mountaintop removal coal mining with her baby Hazel. Photo courtesy of Appalachia Rising.

Yesterday's massive Appalachia Rising rally and march was a big success - with more than 2,000 activists taking to the streets in DC to call for an end to mountaintop removal coal mining.


For some great recaps, be sure to check the Appalachia Rising website, these two posts from our campus coal organizers, and these two posts from Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard.


If you're unfamiliar with mountaintop removal coal mining, it is a destructive practice where coal companies blow up mountains to get at a seam of coal beneath. They then push all the dirt - much of which now includes toxins - into nearby valleys, which then poisons watersheds.

Take action against this practice right now.


The photos with this post (excluding the first one) were all taken by Jay Mallin and show the march, along with some folks getting arrested in front of the White House (the Sierra Club was not part of the civil disobedience).

• Transportation consumes more than 70% of the 19 million barrels of oil used daily in the U.S. One barrel holds 42 gallons, meaning that we use roughly 557 million gallons of oil for transportation each day.


• The BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster spewed nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico - that's just over a quarter of the amount of oil we use in the United States each day.


• Fully one quarter of our nation's roads and bridges are in disrepair, and the Highway Trust Fund, which is financed by the gas tax to take care of our roads, no longer has enough money to cover the costs.

Panels were first constructed and placed on the White House's roof under Jimmy Carter in 1979. Reagan took them down as soon as he moved in. That was more than 30 years ago. Imagine how much further renewable energy would be if our presidents committed to it.

Mr. McKibben met with three mid-level White House officials Friday morning who told him, politely, no dice.

They explained that there were a variety of reasons that the White House roof is not available for a gesture with very little energy-saving potential and that the Obama administration was doing more to promote renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions than any previous government. The word “stunt” may have come up.

After the meeting, Mr. McKibben, speaking by cellphone from the sidewalk outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, said: “They refused to take the Carter-era panel that we brought with us and said they would continue their deliberative process to figure out what is appropriate for the White House someday. I told them it would be nice to deliberate as fast as possible, since that is the rate at which the planet’s climate is deteriorating.”

He said the van with the solar panel was parked in a garage two blocks from the White House. It will be rolled out again on Oct. 10 as part of a series of global warming and renewable energy events around the country and the world.

McKibben's goal is to get this issue out from under the radar. That's why the Sierra Club and others have partnered with 350.org for 10/10/10, or Global Work Day, a national call to action in which people will put climate solutions into practice and relay a message to our elected officials in Washington. Click here to get involved.

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After watching a deer refuse to drink water from a reservoir on a hot summer day last August, Colstrip, Montana area ranchers knew something was wrong. The water, found to contain toxic levels of sulfates, was traced back to a coal ash dump.

Coal ash contamination in Colstrip, Montana dates back nearly 30 years. Colstrip sits on one of the largest coal deposits in North America, and is home to four coal-fired power plants owned by Pennsylvania Power and Light (PP&L).The company disposes of coal ash, the toxic by-product of burning coal, in wet ash dumps, known as settling ponds,in the area.

Insufficient pond linings and poor construction techniques, in addition to lack of state environmental regulation,have led to widespread contamination of water resources in Colstrip. "The state of Montana has had every opportunity to right this wrong, and has failed in every way," said Clint McRae, a Colstrip area rancher.

The ranching community in Colstrip, including McRae, expressed concern about the ash settling ponds used to dispose of coal ash, but were assured by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality the ponds would not leak, and if they did, the power plants would be shut down.

"We were lied to." McRae stated. "We trusted our state and federal agencies to represent our best interests, and keep us from damage. This has not happened."

The livelihood of McRae and other ranchers in Colstrip is threatened by toxic coal ash, as healthy water quality is critical to the success of ranching operations. Simply put, cows drinking toxic water will die. Two coal ash ponds in the area were found to be leaking water containing 16 times the amount of sulfates needed to cause death in cattle.

Instead of cleaning up the coal ash contamination and fixing the leaks, PP&L has opted for a cheaper method to silence the issue. This involves fencing off contaminated ponds, and buying up damaged and polluted land, including the land containing the reservoir where the deer refused to drink.

PP&L is getting by with this for now, but McRae, whose family has been in the area for five generations, makes one thing clear: "Our places are not for sale."

In 2008, PP&L settled for $25 million with 60 homeowners in Colstrip whose drinking water became contaminated. McRae, who was not involved in the lawsuit, is acting as a voice for his family and neighbors that settled with PP&L and can no longer speak out on the issue. McRae traveled to the Denver coal ash hearing last week to speak out for strong, federally enforceable protections from coal ash as the Environmental Protection Agency considers a proposal to federally regulate toxic coal ash disposal for the first time-a proposal that, after more than two decades, may finally help stop leaking coal ash ponds and protect the families in Colstrip.

The Denver hearing McRae attended was the second of seven hearings nationwide that are being held to gather public opinion on how to regulate toxic coal ash disposal. See www.sierraclub.org/coalash for more information and to find out how you can tell the EPA what you think.

For me, refraining from shopping (except for essential groceries and such) is easy. Reducing my waste stream is harder. I do not have a good track record when it comes to things like buying in bulk. I go through paper towels like crazy. And I'm not the best at reusing certain kitchen items, like aluminum foil. I do, however, have some friends, namely reusable bags and my super-cool, retro looking coffee mug:

-- Steer clear of goods that come in a box, wrapper, throw-away bag, plastic container, tin can ... you get the idea!

-- Travel with reusable cutlery, a handkerchief, and a resealable bag or Mason jar (all handy for eating on the run).

-- Say goodbye to delivery and hello to potlucks with friends.

-- Cereal lovers –- buying in bulk reduces your waste. If you can’t buy in bulk, then re-use the wax-lined bags in cereal boxes to wrap sandwiches, or as trash bags.

-- Consider gifts that don’t come wrapped in lots of packaging that will end up in the trash. Give experiences, such as massages (who doesn’t love a back rub?) and local “adventures” like museums, movies, and dance or rock-climbing lessons. Re-gifting is good for your wallet and the planet.

-- Rid your life of paper towels. Cut up and reuse old clothes for napkins, diapers, cleaning rags, dishtowels, and even for blowing your nose.

--Forget Post-Its. Use scrap paper, junk mail, and dryerase boards to take notes.

This summer, we’ve witnessed the 10-day traffic jam in China, the million-gallon Enbridge pipeline oil spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and, of course, ongoing efforts to clean up the BP oil disaster in the Gulf.

Traffic. Oil spills. What do they have in common? Both are at the core of our transportation system in the United States, a system which leaves us dependent on cars to get around, drains as much as $1 billion from our economy each day, and keeps Americans stuck in traffic for 4.2 billion hours each year while wasting 2.8 billion gallons of gas.

We know that America can do better. We need a 21st century transportation system that enhances our national security, economy, environment and quality of life. So the Sierra Club is launching a new network of Transportation Activists, the Club's front line on creating a 21st century transportation system in the United States.

Sick of traffic jams and oil spills? Want to learn about and take action on national transportation issues like ending our dependence on oil, expanding public transit, and promoting the development of walkable and bikeable communities? Sign up to be a Transportation Activist here and join the movement.

This is the weekly blog post from Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.

Power industry lobbyist Jim Roewer: "Wasn't a problem."

Leslie Stahl: "Well, it was a problem, but we just didn't know it."

This excerpt from a recent 60 Minutes story on toxic coal waste sums up the current trouble with the millions of tons of toxic ash left over each year from burning coal for energy.

While scientists and experts know, and have known for years that coal ash is full of harmful pollution that can cause cancer and other serious illnesses, the issue flew largely under the radar until the massive TVA disaster. Even now nobody, including the EPA, has a full picture of how much of this toxic waste is out there, where it is, or if it is staying put. The coal industry has dumped millions of tons of its toxic leftovers at thousands of sites across the country with no federal oversight, and utterly inadequate state policies.

The result? Toxic ash dump sites lacking even basic safety protections, drinking water sources poisoned and people unknowingly at risk.

A new investigative report reveals more than three dozen new sites in 21 states where toxic coal waste has made water supplies unsafe. These sites are the latest in a steadily growing number of waters known to be contaminated by poor management of coal ash. So far more than 130 cases of coal ash contamination have been found in 34 states, and even EPA admits this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Many state agencies (like those in Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico and Tennessee to name a few) require no monitoring of waters near toxic coal ash sites. Other states, like West Virginia, do such a poor job of monitoring as to be useless. About 70 percent of the toxic coal ash generated nationwide is dumped in states that don't require monitoring to see if toxic contamination is leaking from coal ash sites.

The report shows that states responsible for only four of the coal ash sites have required an investigation to determine the scale of the pollution. Not one state has required the toxic pollution to be stopped, let alone cleaned up. There is a clear need for the EPA to step in where the states have failed to protect our communities.

Lisa Jackson and the EPA have recognized this and the agency is currently considering whether and how to regulate toxic coal ash. Monday the EPA will begin a series of hearings across the country to gather public comment on the new protections. The first hearing will be in Arlington, Virginia, followed by hearings in Colorado, Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Kentucky over the next month. Whether you attend a hearing in person or submit comments online I urge you to send a strong message to EPA that federally enforceable protections are absolutely necessary in the face of the growing risk from coal's toxic waste.

Luckily, The No Impact Project has put together an "experiment guide" to get you through your week of no impact. All you have to do is sign up to access the guide and take the challenge. We are also organizing house parties for those participating. House parties take place Saturday, the 28th. Partiers will get to watch the documentary on Planet Green. Your week begins Sunday.

If this sounds like an overwhelming undertaking, keep in mind that the challenge is an abbreviated version of Beaven's venture. The goal is to challenge yourself to examine your daily routines and the areas that have room for improvement. This is a great chance to consider your diet, waste, transportation, energy use, and water consumption.

Sign up for the No Impact Project Experiment!

I will be attempting the challenge myself next week. I'll be blogging about it here on Crossroads, so stay tuned.

Photos courtesy Andrew Christie

It seems like the ink is barely dry on this summer's victory to protect whales. But activists are already mobilizing for the next battle.

In June, the Santa Lucia Chapter celebrated after the International Whaling Commission (IWC) declined to lift a moratorium on commercial whaling. However, the IWC's resolution included a "one-year cooling off period," which means the tug-of-war on commercial whaling -- a back and forth that started after a 1986 moratorium -- might resume in the not-too-distant future.

"The nations that continue to exploit the loopholes in the moratorium and kill whales [Japan, Norway, and Iceland] have been loud and aggressive in their efforts to bring back full-scale whaling. It's safe to assume they're going to try again," said Andrew Christie, Santa Lucia Chapter Director.

Why the strong turn out? One reason was the U.S. government's lackadaisical approach to the IWC negotiations.

In the U.S. Congress, two anti-whaling bills have stalled: H.R. 2455, which has 54 cosponsors, and Senator John Kerry’s S. 3116.

Meanwhile, the California legislature this week passed a resolution calling on the federal government to oppose lifting the IWC's moratorium.

"I also had the pleasure of crewing on a Sea Shepherd anti-whaling campaign about 15 years ago," he said. "I wish I’d seen a whale, but we were preoccupied with getting shot at, depth-charged, and rammed by the Norwegian Coast Guard."

This effort is one component of the Club's ongoing dedication to outdoor volunteerism and youth. The Club is part of the Outdoor Alliance for Kids (OAK), a multi-sector coalition with a basic objective of getting families and children outside together. The Alliance is pushing for legislation at the national and local levels, such as America's Great Outdoors Initiative.

Organizations such as Outdoor Nation and Natural Leaders Network have also been instrumental allies. Sierra Club partnered with the recent Outdoor Nation Youth Festival and Summit to convene more than 500 young delegates from all 50 states -- of which over 40 were Sierra Club-sponsored youth.

The Club is also focused on inner city youth who are in a particular disadvantage when it comes to access to nature. The Inner City Outings (ICO) program organizes more than 800 outings involving about 14,000 kids. Click here to access the Club's brochure and detailed summary of the 50 ICO’s that are led by volunteers across the country.

The Sierra Club is proud to offer all these avenues to outdoor access and youth activity. Club volunteers and friends will be among thousands of Americans who will be outside on Saturday, Sept.11th. We hope you will join us. Click here to see what you can do.

photos courtesy Jim Richardson.

At nearly 5,000 megawatts of output, the Kusile plant would be one of the largest dirty-coal plants in the world, and would be one of the single largest point sources of climate disrupting pollution on Earth. The Kusile project would annually emit more than 150 percent of the annual carbon emissions from projects supported by the Ex-Im Bank in 2009.

That's why the Sierra Club is one of many partners in the CoolClimate Art Contest, a first-of-its-kind online contest that will be judged on Huffington Post by several climate activists, including Van Jones, Philippe Cousteau, Jackson Browne, and comedian Chevy Chase. The contest is sponsored by Creative Visions Foundation and Crosscurrents Foundation.

Enroll and post your entry at deviantArt by Sept. 6. The panel of judges will narrow the field to 20 finalists. These submissions will then be moved to HuffPost for a public vote. The best of the best will be featured on Planet Green's Planet 100 show. So connect with your inner Pollack and get to work!

Unlike some renewable energy projects blocked by objections that they would despoil the landscape, this one has the support of environmentalists.

The San Joaquin initiative is in the vanguard of a new approach to locating renewable energy projects: putting them on polluted or previously used land. The Westlands project has won the backing of groups that have opposed building big solar projects in the Mojave Desert and have fought Westlands for decades over the district's water use. Landowners and regulators are on board, too.

"It's about as perfect a place as you're going to find in the state of California for a solar project like this," said Carl Zichella, who until late July was the Sierra Club's Western renewable programs director. "There's virtually zero wildlife impact here because the land has been farmed continuously for such a long time and you have proximity to transmission, infrastructure and markets."

An expert report issued today finds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can move forward in a timely way on new air quality rules for power plant emissions to improve public health while maintaining the reliability of the nation's power system.

"However, these will tend to be older, smaller generating units that are already reaching the end of their design life. We have identified at least 40 units that are scheduled for retirement with an average age of more than 50 years old."

The report, Ensuring a Clean, Modern Electric Generating Fleet while Maintaining Electric System Reliability....reviews the impact on power plant operations of proposed EPA rules to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), mercury, and other hazardous air pollutants.

(The final rules) protect Americans' health by cutting emissions of mercury, particle pollution and other harmful pollutants from Portland cement manufacturing, the third-largest source of mercury air emissions in the United States. The rules are expected to yield $7 to $19 in public health benefits for every dollar in costs.

Mercury can damage children's developing brains, and particle pollution is linked to a wide variety of serious health effects, including aggravated asthma, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, and premature death in people with heart and lung disease.

While risks to individuals are small and are dwarfed by risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and obesity, the overall effect on the public is big, says Robert Brook, a cardiologist at the University of Michigan and lead author of the report.

Much of the worrisome data concerns "fine particulate matter" - tiny bits of soot that come from burning coal, oil, diesel fuel or wood, mostly in factories, vehicles and power plants.

"These fine particles get deep into the lungs," says Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association....It's also possible that some fine particles seep into blood vessels and the blood itself, causing direct damage. Dirty air also may trigger irregular nervous system activity that affects the heart and blood vessels.

After careful review of the present disposal of these wastes, we believe these additional measures are needed to ensure that public health and the environment are fully protected. If the states and industry do not take steps to address these wastes adequately in a reasonable amount of time or if EPA identifies additional risks to public health, EPA will revisit this decision to determine whether a hazardous approach is needed.

EPA noted a U.S. Green Building Council representative's affirmation that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design incentives would remain for fly ash in concrete even under a broader (coal combustion residual) hazardous waste classification. If USGBC and EPA continue to recognize fly ash as an environmentally beneficial portland cement substitute, the proposed rule states,

"The use of this material is unlikely to decrease solely because of 'stigma' concerns. We believe it is unlikely (the American Society for Testing and Materials) will prohibit the use of fly ash in concrete under its standards solely because of a determination that fly ash is regulated under subtitle C of (the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), especially given that [such usage] is accepted [worldwide] as a practice that improves the performance of concrete. It is one of the most cost-effective, near-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and, there is no evidence of meaningful risk--nor any reason to think there might be--involved with its use in cement or concrete."

Join the National Bike Ride to Support Climate and Energy Solutions
The nation's largest environmental charity bike ride and 'climate conference on wheels' comes to California! After two years on the East Coast, Climate Ride debuts Brita Climate Ride California 2010 this September 21-25, 2010.

Two hundred cyclists will pedal beautiful country roads 300 miles along California’s rugged northern coast from Eureka to San Francisco to raise awareness of clean energy, the climate crisis, and pedal power.

This fully-supported adventure raises funds for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Green America, and 1Sky. Climate Ride is the first multi-day, multi-city bicycle ride to address climate issues and highlight renewable energy solutions. The event also showcases that the bicycle is the ultimate carbon-free machine and a viable form of transportation. Participants can register online at www.ClimateRide.org.

You might notice that these suggestions are not anything new. But walking the talk a little at a time will go a long way. And if you're frustrated by the slow political process in Washington, click here to take action. Have a happy and safe long weekend!

There are going to be seven or eight sessions across the country after next week's hearing in L.A.: Florida, New York, Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina, for example. They’ll probably run one or two a week till the end of August. The Interior, the EPA, and the Forest Service will look at the public feedback, put together a report, and base recommendations on what the public has to say. We want to augment that and put forth our vision for Resilient Habitats.

Q: Obama’s initiative is in coordination with other government agencies, like the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development, among others. Why?

The Sierra Club of all the environmental groups is probably best positioned for these efforts because of our Building Bridges to the Outdoors program and getting youth outside, and our Military Families Outdoors program. The Department of Interior in particular is very eager to work with us because they see it as part of their own campaign for the Obama Administration to pursue.

And if you haven't already added your flag online, you can still join the crowd -- and you won't have to go through airport security to be a part of it.

Above - Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune (left) and banner holders look back at President Obama's helicopter flies nearby during the press conference.

George Kohl, Senior Director of the Communications Workers of America, speaks at today's Beyond Oil rally.

All photos above by Javier Sierra. All photos below by Heather Moyer.

It's not officially Flag Day (that was June 14th), but on the National Mall in Washington, DC, today is a sort of an unofficial flag day.

We've got our Beyond Oil action up and flowing in the wind on the Mall - 10,000 flags that spell out "Freedom from Oil," that volunteers worked late in the night on Tuesday to stake into the ground.

These 10,000 flags represent the more than 50,000 people who took action on our Beyond Oil website asking President Obama to move our country beyond oil.

Glen Besa of the Sierra Club in Virginia took a great video of the flag planting last night, so take a look. (Sorry, the humidity got to our flipcam)

And if you want to see more of Glen's photos (all of the photos in this entry were taken by Glen), click here to see his online photo album.

The "Freedom from Oil" flag event continues today with a 11am ET press conference and all-day tabling to inform people about our country's oil addiction and asking them to join us in calling for a plan to get off oil.

We hope to have video of today's press conference later on.

For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered. For decades, we've talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires...We cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.

This announcement comes more than a year after a March 2009 U.S. District Court decision ruled these permits illegal.

The nationwide permits, created in 1982, gave a blanket authorization to mountaintop removal coal mines to dump their mining waste in streams and waterways. The District Court ruled that this overly generalized permitting process could not guarantee compliance with the Clean Water Act and that mining companies must apply for individual permits in order to be able to fill streams with mining waste.

• July 8 in Fort Worth, Texas
• July 13 in Denver, Colo.
• July 22 in Canonsburg, Pa.
• August 12 in Binghamton, N.Y.

What inspired you to start writing music about the environment?

What are your thoughts on the BP oil disaster?

My main thought is, the sooner we get off fossil fuel the better. Politically what’s happened over the last ten years was basically a giveaway to all the energy companies. It was a free-for-all. I hate to see this happen, but I hope this is a wake-up call for everyone. Like what the president said, there’s no better time to get off fossil fuels. It’s not sustainable and we can’t continue to fight wars for cheap oil.

I went to the premiere of Gasland and it's the same thing -- we are at ground zero for that (hydraulic fracturing) right now. It’s in my home county and all the counties around us. It’s like the Wild West; there are no regulations. I went to the showing in Pittsburgh and a few of my friends from high school showed up. When they show up, to me that’s a success, because it’s all about educating people.

What do you do in your daily routine that's green?

We live in an area where public transportation, walking, and biking are easy to do. I have a Subaru, which isn’t very efficient, but more fuel efficient than SUVs. We buy organic. We belong to the East End Food Co-op. We’ve planted our own garden -- basics like tomatoes, peppers. I’m just putting in some raised beds. I’ve been a vegetarian for the past year. I’m desperately trying to get off of fossil fuels and thinking of ways around it. My ideal is to get off the grid completely.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Read Part IV: Public transit.
Read Part III: Telecommute.
Read Part II: Bike and walk.
Read Part I: Eat smarter.

"The president also renewed his call for bolder action to create a clean energy future. We share the President's commitment, and recognize the steps we take as a nation must balance America's environmental, economic, and energy goals."

We're guessing that you all are just like us here at the Sierra Club - you feel frustrated and helpless looking at all these terrible BP oil disaster photos.

The 5th Annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday, June 17, will give people the chance to make a statement in support of public transit and its ability to help our country reduce its reliance on oil...(T)he National Dump the Pump Day is a public awareness day that highlights the benefits of public transportation.

Public transportation is part of the solution for our country attaining energy independence as U.S. public transit ridership saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. By using public transportation on June 17, people will be able to show their support for public transportation and also for our nation's goal of energy independence.

In addition, riding public transportation can help people save money. The most recent APTA Transit Savings Report showed that on the average, an individual can save can more than $9,000 a year by taking public transportation instead of driving a car.

More than 100 public transportation systems are participating in National Dump the Pump Day activities this year.

First, there is a very important vote in the Senate scheduled for Thursday - on Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R - Oil) disapproval resolution that would block Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act.

This move is a total sham - the Supreme Court ordered EPA to regulate carbon dioxide after EPA ruled it as harmful to humans. EPA Administration Lisa Jackson is speaking out in opposition to Murkowski's resolution as well.

Looks like Senator Murkowski just wants to protect Big Oil and Big Coal from cleaning themselves up. Have you asked your Senator to vote against this resolution yet?

In coal news, Duke Energy is taking a long hard look at buying coal from mountaintop removal coal mining operations....really? Ah, because they're estimating how much it would cost to stop buying MTR coal, I see. In any case, here's another interesting fact from that article:

North Carolina is one of the nation's top users of mountaintop coal. About half the electricity used in this state comes from coal-burning power plants, and about half the coal for those plants comes from mountaintop blasting.

You can do better than that, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Massey Energy (owner of the mine that blew up and killed 29 coal miners in early April) is now blaming the Mine Safety and Health Administration for making them install a ventilation system that's unsafe. And it just happens to be the same system that was in place at the mine that exploded.

And while some dirty tar sands company executives are saying this Gulf of Mexico BP oil disaster means we should switch to the much safer tar sands oil for our needs, we're saying No Way.

If you're in Houston this Thursday night, then check out the Houston Sierra Club Chapter's Air Quality forum, where they'll talk about plans for the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. That pipeline would bring Canada's dirty tar sands (see the photo) into the U.S., and you can send in your comment right now opposing that plan.

We just released a major report on tar sands with several other organizations, too. Go read "Tar Sands Invasion" and educate yourself on why this dirty energy source is not a wise choice for the U.S. Here is a good column on this issue, too.

Finally, today Yale University and George Mason University co-released a poll on public opinion about global warming. The results?

Since January, public belief that global warming is happening rose four points, to 61 percent, while belief that it is caused mostly by human activities rose three points, to 50 percent. The number of Americans who worry about global warming rose three points, to 53 percent. And the number of Americans who said that the issue is personally important to them rose five points, to 63 percent.

The polling also includes numbers on specific policy points to stop global warming. Check it out.

Gabrielle Burton, Sierra Club member who runs fivesistersproductions.com, sends us these shots from a BP pump station. Thanks, Gabrielle!

Take a closer look at that red warning sticker:

A lot of people are noticing these warning signs and taking pictures. There are more at Think Progress. If you have pictures related to the oil mess, post them at the BP Oil Disaster group's gallery here on Climate Crossroads.

At about 2:50 of this clip, Sen. Alexander of Tennessee compares the BP disaster to an plane crash. "We can't stop flying just because we have a terrible airplane crash, but we can do everything we can to make sure we don't have another one," he says.

Does this analogy hold water (or oil)? I like Sierra Club's tweeted response: "Sen. Alexander, this BP oil disaster is more comparable to the Hindenberg -- when’s the last time you flew on a dirigible?"

The way to "make sure we don't have another" disaster is to end offshore drilling for good. Take action and let your elected representatives know that you mean business.

The foundation's creators are hoping to support organizations that meet the foundation's three standards: Money must go as directly as possible to beneficiaries, not operating costs; it must help either wildlife or people whose livelihoods were directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon spill; and it must target needs not being addressed by government...

The article, entitled "Meatless Mondays, A Movement That Has Legs," covers all the angles of why people are doing it, as well as the meat industry's paranoid response. An excerpt:

It's enough to make the meat industry nervous. Over the past year, lobbying groups including the American Meat Institute, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the National Pork Board and the Farm Bureau have launched a quiet campaign to try to reverse the momentum.

They have fired off missives to institutions that embrace the call to reduce meat consumption, and they have posted talking points for meat producers on the Internet. They are also making a final push to ensure that the government recommendation of two servings of meat per day remains enshrined in the new dietary guidelines that the Department of Agriculture will release this fall....

In response, the meat industry has stressed science...To environmentalists, they point to new research that challenges widely publicized statistics that livestock production creates more greenhouse gases than forms of automated transportation.

Nervous meat producers! Could be a good band name. Are you into Meatless Mondays?

Shell Oil Co. pledged Monday to deploy a prefabricated coffer dam ready for "immediate" use in the event of a blowout, with a full-scale oil spill response within an hour.

In a letter intended to reassure federal officials that offshore drilling can safely begin in the fragile Arctic in July despite the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Shell said it also would be ready to apply dispersant immediately underwater near the source of any oil flow and would have a remotely operated submersible and trained divers at the drilling site.

After the Sierra Club and our partners began campaigning to end JPMorgan Chase's coal financing in September of 2008, JPMorgan Chase conducted an internal review of their environmental policies and financial support for coal companies engaged in mountaintop removal. Starting in 2009 JPMorgan Chase began an "enhanced due diligence" process for any potential financial transactions related to mountaintop removal coal mining, which means extra review of potential risks to their bottom line or their reputation.

As a result of that process JPMorgan Chase decided not to conduct business in 2009 with any coal companies engaged in "significant" mountaintop removal operations, such as Massey. While Bank of America and Citigroup have similar policies in place, JPMorgan Chase still lags behind Credit Suisse and Wells Fargo which have policies that end or phase out any financial involvement with companies engaged in mountaintop removal, respectively.

Click here to read all about the BP-disaster protests that took place late last week. Great pictures!

Join the BP Oil Disaster group here on Climate Crossroads for all the latest on the disaster and the clean up.

(Thanks Nicole!)

[ editor's note: On Earth Day Oliver Bock, a Sierra Club member, and his sister, set off on a cross-country adventure on electric bicycles. Follow Oliver's journey at his blog. We will be posting some of his writings here as well. And join the Bicycle group here on Climate Crossroads.]

The mayor of Flagstaff tries out an electric bike ... and likes it!

Cruising through the high desert.

[ editor's note: On Earth Day Oliver Bock, a Sierra Club member, and his sister, set off on a cross-country adventure on electric bicycles. Follow Oliver's journey at his blog. We will be posting some of his writings here as well. And join the Bicycle group here on Climate Crossroads.]

We woke to more wind and predictions of 50 mph + winds by the afternoon. Even though it's Mother's Day, we managed to get Derrick to ride with us for the day and we headed out after saying goodbye to Linda (Derrick's mother in law). She was so sweet to us and we basked in her hospitality.

We went to Mc Donalds to get "the best coffee in town", unload our bikes, use the bathroom, load up on water and head out of town.

The first 25 miles or so were up a wide valley with smooth, rounded red rock cliffs just on our right. It was some of the most spectacular scenery we have seen and our friendly tailwind kept us smiling. Derrick was a delight. He enjoyed every minute of the ride and added his knowledge and fun commentary to our day.

We turned east and headed up the pass that would drop us into New Mexico. Again, tailwinds helped us up a somewhat challenging pass and we stopped to picnic right below the summit where the rest of Derrick's family met us. It was great hanging out with them and Sean played in the snow with the three kids until his hands hurt from making and throwing snowballs.

At the top of the pass, Catherine turned over the reins of her steed to Sean to avoid the long steep windy downhill. And it was a long, very steep downhill. I used my brakes most of the way down and had trouble keeping myself below 40 mph.

Sean disappeared immediately and I won't say how fast he went. Almost at the bottom, I got my first flat tire and did a roadside repair with the help of Catherine who stayed behind us and was able to stop and help me fix the flat.

We reached our destination and it was obvious that our path forward was full blown sandstorm again. So, after a fond farewell to our new friends Derrick and his family, we loaded up all the bikes and detoured up to Mesa Verde where I am now sitting in a campground while Catherine cooks mutton stew and we are looking forward to spending most of the day tomorrow exploring Mesa Verde.

It's sad to be leaving Navajo Country. The limited services and lack of internet barely registered on our radar when compared to the warmth and beauty of the Navajo lands and people. I will need to come back and I will never forget the strength and warmth of the Navajo's we were so lucky to get to know.

The Sierra Club has been holding a series of "Clean It Up!" events around the country calling on BP to clean up the disaster and demanding an end to new offshore drilling. Citizens have already turned out for rallies in Florida, Virginia, Seattle, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Houston.

On Saturday in New Orleans, the Sierra Club joined with fishing industry representatives, Gulf Coast leaders, and a crowd of more than 200 concerned citizens at a rally in support of Gulf Coast communities impacted by the BP Disaster.

"We are here to urge that President Obama dedicate every necessary resource his disposal to contain the well and stop the flow of oil," said Sierra Club president Allison Chin. "We need to clean up this disaster. The people who live in the Gulf Coast are looking at sweeping job losses and a destroyed ecosystem."

Last Thursday in Houston our Lone Star Chapter also held a brief presser and gathering outside an oil industry conference to call for more clean energy. They started the presser off with a fake speech from a fake oil industry spokesperson, "Oilivia Blackwater." Here's video of that:

Then the press conference got serious, as the group called for no more oil drilling, including a speech from a shrimper who spoke of the oil disaster's impact on her industry.

That message is present at all the "Clean It Up" rallies. "Offshore drilling is dirty and dangerous. This disaster could happen in Virginia, or California, or anywhere offshore oil rigs are allowed. We need an end to all new drilling off America's coasts. But that's not enough," said Chin at the New Orleans rally.

"We need our leaders to deliver a plan to get America off of oil and onto a clean, efficient, 21st century transportation system. We need to clean up the Gulf Coast, and we need to clean up America’s energy."

There are more clean energy rallies and events coming up to counter this terrible oil disaster - are you going to one? You can even sign up to host one!

New Orleans photos by David Graham-Caso. Houston photos by Zac Trahan.

Sick of oil? Do you bike instead? Do you haiku?

Enter our bike-ku contest for the chance to win a brand new Breezer Uptown 8 bicycle. Runners-up will get a Kryptonite lock and a Nutcase helmet. A panel of bike-commuting Sierra Club staffers will pick the finalists and the winner will be selected by Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, founder of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus.

It's National Bike Month and with news of oil spills clogging up your ears, there's no better time to celebrate our beloved, emissions-free, two-wheeled pals.

All you have to do is join the Bicycle group; post a picture; write a haiku. Your deadline is May 31. For more details visit the Bicycle group.

Thanks to the Internet, you don't need a time machine to look back at what happened after the infamous Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Exxon fought tooth and nail in the court system and basically got away with a slap on the wrist. After years and years of litigation, the Supreme Court two years ago sided with Exxon and reduced the previous ruling of $2.5 billion in punitive damages to a paltry $500 million. And these days, Exxon's pockets are blooming again.

Obama swears BP will pay for this one. But can we be so sure? Take action and tell your representatives that additional offshore drilling is no longer acceptable.

We're also hearing that the smell of the oil is very apparent in coastal Louisiana now, too - this HuffPost article seems to confirm that one.

Our friends at Rainforest Action Network made this entertaining video that calls companies out for blatant Earth Day greenwashing. The video may be funny, but the subject matter is no joke: Going green is a massive marketing craze, and many corporations insidiously exaggerate or completely fabricate their eco-credibility to cash in on well-meaning consumers.

Need evidence? Dasani (a Coca-Cola subsidiary) recently switched to plastic bottles made from "up to 30 percent" plant-based materials. Really, that could mean anything from 1 to 30 percent. The rest is regular, non-recycled plastic, rendering their eco-claim bogus. They're still making landfill-clogging, disposable plastic bottles, and causing water problems around the world.

Our next example is brought to you by McDonald's, which published an "environmental best practices" e-book. That's big talk from a company we haven't yet forgiven for cutting down Amazonian rainforest, and for being one of the biggest peddlers of the world's most polluting product.

[ editor's note: On Earth Day Oliver Bock, a Sierra Club member, and his sister, will be setting off on a cross-country adventure on electric bicycles. Follow Oliver's journey at his blog. We will be posting some his writings here as well. And join the Bicycle group here on Climate Crossroads.]

The nerves are a'tingling.

We are not ready but hopefully ready enough. Unfortunately, today is filled with events leaving very little time for organizing. We've come to the point where our actions have very little control over outcomes so we'll put this show on the road and see what happens!

[ editor's note: On Earth Day Oliver Bock, a Sierra Club member, and his sister, will be setting off on a cross-country adventure on electric bicycles. Follow Oliver's journey at his blog. We will be posting some his writings here as well. And join the Bicycle group here on Climate Crossroads.]

Less than 36 hours to departure! Here is the latest episode of "The Green Riders Videos" showing us (Oliver and Catherine) practicing riding and talking at the same time!

While we are on the road we hope to publish video shorts of our experiences. Please subscribe to the Green Riders videos at youtube.com/user/TheGreenRidersVideos (click the yellow 'subscribe' button at YouTube.)

• Gregory Boyce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Peabody Energy Corporation
• Steven F. Leer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Arch Coal, Inc.
• Preston Chiaro, Chief Executive for Energy and Minerals, Rio Tinto
• Michael Carey, President, Ohio Coal Association

Since 1973, the San Juan Coal Company has dumped more than 40 million tons of coal combustion waste containing pollutants like arsenic, lead and mercury into massive unlined pits at the San Juan Mine, about 10 miles west of Farmington. The coal combustion waste disposed of at the mine comes from the nearby San Juan Generating Station, and includes various forms of ash as well as sludge from the scrubbers that remove air pollutants from the power plant exhaust. As a result of the lack of adequate safety precautions, toxins from the coal combustion waste have leached into nearby waterways and wells, endangering local residents, livestock, and wildlife.

"For years the San Juan Coal Company and others have dumped toxic waste into this mine without regard to what it was doing to those living downstream," said R.G. "Squeek" Hunt, a local sheep farmer. Water on Mr. Hunt’s property has been repeatedly polluted by the dumping of coal combustion waste in the area. "Thank goodness that somebody is finally going to make the mine accountable for its action."

Testing has shown that the levels of arsenic, lead, selenium, uranium, sulfate and many other toxins exceed safe levels in ground and surface water near the mine dump site. These pollutants have been shown to increase the risk of cancer, damage the nervous and reproductive systems, and cause other serious illnesses to people and animals.

Over the past years coal companies have been increasingly dumping coal combustion waste in open coal mines, like the San Juan mine, as a way to avoid the costs of landfill disposal, liners, covers and monitoring to make sure toxins don't leak out. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that water supplies in 24 states have been contaminated from coal combustion waste that was disposed of without proper safeguards.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Visit your local farmers' market, watch this video of sustainable chef Annie Somerville, and make yourself some yummy stir fry.

Sierra Club's Lay of the Land blog is the spot to take action on Obama's offshore drilling announcement.

The plan, as laid out by Obama, would open the Mid and South Atlantic (from Delaware through Cape Canaveral) to exploratory seismic testing, would go forward with a lease off Virginia's coast (following an assessment of environmental impacts), would allow a lease in the Eastern Gulf (assuming the same set of environmental analyses), and would allow exploratory drilling in Alaska's ice-choked Beaufort and Chukchi seas to go forth.

[ editor's note: On Earth Day Oliver Bock, a Sierra Club member, and his sister, will be setting off on a cross-country adventure on electric bicycles. Follow Oliver's journey at his blog. We will be posting his writings here as well. And join the Bicycle group here on Climate Crossroads.]

As our electric bicycles go through their testing, tuning debugging etc., we are pushing dangerously close to our departure date without having full confidence in our rigs. The most recent concern has been the bicycle we built up on a cargo bike frame. The bicycle works well but the extra weight adds extra stress to the wheel and requires more battery power to get the mileage we need. As a consequence of losing confidence in the cargo bike for the long trip, I approached Michael DeVisser, the owner (with his father) of OHM bikes. About a month ago they had expressed interest in providing us with a bicycle but I wasn't interested since we were counting on the cargo bike.

I called Michael on Thursday, we talked for about 15 minutes and I emailed him our website and a short note updating the status of the trip and by 4 p.m. Friday he wrote back to me and offered us the loan of an OHM bike!! Not only that, he is loaning us the high end model with the bigger motor and suspension and providing an additional battery pack to extend our range to where we need it. OHM is a small company and to loan us a bicycle that won't come back new is a big deal for them. Not only am I completely delighted with their generosity but their bike uses the very reliable BionX system.

The disadvantage of the OHM for many people is the price. I'm not sure what they retail for but they are more expensive than most electric bicycles out there. On the other hand, they use excellent components, they ride really well and they will outlast most other electric bicycles on the market today. So, you get what you pay for. The OHM's are selling really well in Marin where the terrain overwhelms the lower end electric bikes.

Guerilla Forestry is a group here on Climate Crossroads that's blossoming, so to speak. Check out its photo gallery.

The Farmers' Market group on Climate Crossroads is doing great stuff. The group uses its photo gallery to create a photo map that spots where its great photos were taken. To view the whole map, click here!

Six farmers' markets were added to the photo map yesterday! There are close to 90 markets from 30 states up on the map.

Remember when viewing the map to click on a basket to view the photo taken from the market. If you don't see your local market on the map, take your camera with you on your next visit to the farmers' market, snap some pictures, post it to the photo gallery, and indicate your market's location. We'll take it from there.

"How good will the business judgment of companies that make high-carbon choices now look in five, 10, 20 years, when it becomes clear that heavily polluting infrastructure has become deadly and must be phased out before the end of its useful life?"
- Todd Stern, U.S. State Department Special Envoy on Climate Change

My mission with the Sierra Club is to fight climate change by reducing Rhode Island’s carbon emissions. Since 42% of our State’s emissions are produced by the transportation sector, Sierra devised the Transportation Choices 2020 campaign to affect the greatest reduction. Essentially, Rhode Island needs to move away from its dependency on the car culture in order to do its part, and that means we need more options than just the car in the driveway.

Too often, we overlook biking and walking as viable alternatives to our automobiles, but the fact is we live in a tiny State where the power in our legs could easily satisfy many of our transportation needs. If we placed greater emphasis on designing our communities and the roads between them to be more walkable and bikeable, we could reap enormous rewards in the battle against climate change, at the same time encouraging much more healthy lifestyles.

Unfortunately, Rhode Island bikers and pedestrians are confronted by unfriendly roads, designed for the singular use of the car. There is a movement afoot to change our cultural disregard for walking and biking, and it’s called complete streets. The idea is to incorporate space for all modes of transportation into street design and to restripe our old roads so they meet everyone’s needs.

March is fast approaching and the seasons are changing. Do you want to get a garden going? The I Love to Garden group here on Climate Crossroads is the place to be. Join the group, meet other gardeners, and check out some new photos like this one in the group's gallery. Another excellent group with a vibrant photo gallery is Fans of Farmers Markets.

"The hope is that the dark ash will absorb the sun's energy and help 'rot' the ice so it breaks up into smaller chunks and washes downstream, Berndt said."

If you love the Winter Olympics, then you'll hate the fact that Canadian oil sands -- the dirtiest of the dirty -- pose a threat to our planet. Visit lovewinter.org to learn more about this destructive process.

Fuel from the oil sands is the dirtiest in the world, producing three times the global warming pollution as conventional oil. The oil sands extraction and production process requires clear-cutting giant swaths of ancient forest and leaving behind toxic lakes so large they can be seen from space—lakes that kill birds and other wildlife and threaten to poison drinking water in neighboring communities.

Regional energy planners say improved efficiency, conservation, wind power and gas will help the Pacific Northwest meet electricity demand over the next 20 years without adding an extra lump of coal.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council unanimously adopted a regional energy plan Wednesday that avoids any new coal-fired plants for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana through 2030.

My wife and I visited my Grandma's town this past weekend -- a weekend that happened to include the annual crab feed put on by the local American Legion post, which got me thinking about vegetarianism and seafood. For some reason, people seem to think seafood is not meat. "But you still eat crab, don't you?" my grandma asked. I shook my head. "What about white meat?" Uhhh.

My wife and I attended the event anyway just to be with Grandma and her friends -- and because proceeds go toward a good cause. In this town, crab feeds are among the most exciting things that happen.

Nearly 400 people packed the Legion's auditorium. Each table was waited on by Girl Scouts while some Cub Scouts bussed. Fresh Dungeness crab was served in blue buckets while the leftover shells were tossed in white buckets and carried back to the kitchen. There were a lot of buckets. I later found out that 1,200 pounds of crab total were trucked in for the feast.

About five years ago, I attended and happily participated. But now that I'm a vegetarian, my wife and I had to prepare. Pasta was also on the menu. But my instincts were proven right when it was served with meat sauce already plopped on top.

That's why my wife made our own pasta to bring. And some great sauce to boot -- regular tomato, basil sauce with cooked artichoke hearts. And she made tasty garlic bread using a sweet baguette. It was divine!

I learned from this experience that vegetarians have to be mindful of what's available when they attend events that provide prepared food. I also learned that vegetarians are expected to conform to what other people are doing, especially at something like a crab feed. Luckily we didn't get very many confused looks from people wondering what we were doing bringing our own food. Why go to a crab feed when you're not going to eat crab? Well, we don't get to see Grandma all that often!

And lastly, there are ways to eat seafood while keeping the planet in mind. Our oceans, rivers, and lakes are among the most vulnerable ecosystems out there. I recommend reading Julie Packard's (of the Monterey Bay Aquarium) recent article on sustainable seafood and taking the Sierra Club's excellent and educational "How Green is My Seafood" quiz.

(I quit meat for 2010 and I'm writing about it. Read my previous articles here, here, here, and here.)

"I've been hospitalized many times with asthma attacks. It's scary when you can't catch your breath. When I was young, going to the hospital with asthma was a monthly thing. Now I'm on an adult dose of asthma medicine and the only other way to manage the asthma is to limit my outdoor activities. That's hard to do at 14. My doctor's even talking to me about moving away from Houston's pollution when I go to college."

Things are not always as they appear.

I quit meat for 2010 to reduce my carbon footprint. But this past week I've come to realize that vegetarianism is not a be-all, end-all. For example, the other day I noticed after the fact that the grapes I bought were from Chile. Whoops. And then I read Mr. Green's articles here and here about why purchasing meat from small farmers might be better than eating no meat at all. He makes a very persuasive "eat less meat" argument.

Meanwhile, I am in the middle of The Omnivore's Dilemma by food guru Michael Pollan. I was struck by the chapter about Big Organic and the industry's steady morph into something that resembles the conventional. I'm always leery of "organic" microwable dinners that I periodically see at my grocery store. But what Pollan writes here (p.182) really stuck out:

[P]erhaps most discouraging of all, my industrial organic meal is nearly as drenched in fossil fuel as its conventional counterpart. Asparagus traveling in a 747 from Argentina; blackberries trucked up from Mexico; a salad chilled to thirty-six degrees from the moment it was picked in Arizona [...] to the moment I walk it out the doors of my Whole Foods.[...] Today it takes between seven and ten calories of fossil fuel energy to deliver one calorie of food energy to an American plate. And while it is true that organic farmers don't spread fertilizers made from natural gas or spray pesticides made from petroleum, industrial organic farmers often wind up burning more diesel fuel than their conventional counterparts: in trucking bulky loads of compost across the countryside and weeding their fields, a particularly energy-intensive process involving extra irrigation and extra cultivation.

I guess there are a few lessons here: eat local; eat seasonal; and while quitting meat probably does wonders to one's carbon footprint, it's not the whole enchilada, so to speak. And last but not least, food labels (i.e. "organic", "cage-free") are not always what they insinuate. There's vegetarianism and then there's smart vegetarianism.

(I quit meat for 2010 and I'm writing about it. Read my previous posts here, here, and here.)

• Only 50 percent of Americans now say they are "somewhat" or "very worried" about global warming, a 13-point decrease.

• The percentage of Americans who think global warming is happening has declined 14 points, to 57 percent.

• The percentage of Americans who think global warming is caused mostly by human activities dropped 10 points, to 47 percent.

I’ve had plenty of opportunity to gather anecdata on the impact of DC’s new initiative to impose a five cent tax on plastic grocery bags. My key observations are that I hear a ton of whining about how terrible this new tax is, and also a lot of people engaging in tax-avoiding behavior—canvass bags, cramming stuff into backpacks, carrying items by hand. In other words, it looks to be a stunning success! The five cent fee is actually very small but people really hate paying it. Apparently it’s led to something like a fifty percent reduction in bag usage.

Portland's Coal Problem from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

I suppose it might be sad to say that we were and were not surprised to hear this week that two dirty energy lobbyists helped craft the effort to neuter the Clean Air Act, which could next appear as an amendment to the Senate’s debt ceiling vote next week.

Foreseeing a showdown over climate change, the energy industry had been busy packing Capitol Hill with lobbyists. By last year, according to the Center for Public Integrity, the number of lobbyists devoted to climate change had soared by more than fivefold since 2003, to a total of 2,810 - or five lobbyists for every lawmaker in Washington. "I had no idea this many lobbyists even existed in Washington," says former senator Tim Wirth, now head of the United Nations Foundation. Only 138 of the lobbyists were pushing for alternative energy - the rest were heavily weighted toward the old fossil-fuel mafia, most of whom oppose tough carbon caps. The most aggressive foes were coal polluters like Peabody Energy and the Southern Company, an Atlanta-based utility known for its prowess on Capitol Hill. "They're kneecap breakers," says one congressional staffer.

What do (the study's) findings mean? They indicate that the Pliocene might be the best analog for the world in the not-too-distant future. They also imply that our climate models, which account for short-term feedbacks like water vapor and sea-ice formation, but don't include feedback cycles that take place on a longer time scales - receding ice sheets and vegetation changes, for example significantly underestimate CO2's impact on Earth's climate.

A group of scientists called on the federal government Thursday to stop mountaintop removal mining, arguing dozens of existing studies on the practice prove its ecological impacts are "pervasive and irreversible."

In a Policy Forum opinion piece for Friday's issue of the journal Science, 12 researchers from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia argue the effects are clear, and federal regulators must stop ignoring what they call "rigorous science."

We're five days into the new year. But that doesn't mean it's too late to resolve to do something. Today is just as good as any day to improve your life and the planet. The Green Life blog is posting some excellent tips this week on how to green your year.

Breaking news from The Onion: Department Of Interior Employee Caught Embezzling 50,000 Wolves.

On a related note, the Resilient Habitats campaign focuses on helping nature overcome our rapidly changing climate. It has a group here on Climate Crossroads. Take a look!

Everyone loves a good end-of-the-year list. That's why the Energy Solutions group on Climate Crossroads put together a list of the top five things you can do in 2010 to save money and reduce your home's energy intake. Visit the group blog to read it. Here's one of the five: Upgrade the efficiency of your home appliances.

Have you made any of these changes to save energy at home? Take a picture of what you've done and post it on the Energy Solutions' photo gallery.

Copenhagen is over, but it's still buzzing. The Copenhagen group here on Climate Crossroads -- with nearly 600 members -- will continue to post blog items, news, and video.

The Sierra Club delegation that was there did an excellent job using the group as its central place to keep us all informed. Here's a list of five of the best items that were posted during the historic climate summit:

5. Sierra Club Voices. In addition to Carl Pope's blog posts from Copenhagen, the "Voices" video series was a compelling set of testimonials from the Sierra Student Coalition and Club staff and volunteers. To watch them, click here, here, here, and here. Here's one:

4. Inside the Bella Center. The conference center was the focus of attention throughout the negotiations process. The Sierra Club's Josh Dorner was able to provide video and give us an inside look at activity from within the facility.

3. Young activists. There's no denying that young people had a huge presence at Copenhagen. Besides, they have the biggest stake in all this. Everyone seemed to have opinions on this video of activists taking over a climate-denier's speech. But that didn't overshadow the enthusiasm and passion shown by younger attendees of the summit. The Sierra Student Coalition wrote some memorable blog posts. And this speech did an exceptional job at articulating the youth's voice.

2. Tuvalu! Tuvalu -- a place that most Americans probably have never heard of before -- stole the Copenhagen spotlight and left a huge impression on the world. Members of the Sierra Student Coalition wrote about a Tuvalu rally. And here's a video of the Tuvalu delegation that will give you chills.

1. The Copenhagen gallery. Great pics, everyone! 

Eight days later, Obama was back in Scandinavia and I again found myself watching him speak. This time, I watched from my apartment as all of civil society had been kicked out of the conference center in direct violation of UN principles agreed to in, of all places, Denmark. The mood was decidedly darker as, with less than 24 hours remaining in the alloted time, barely any progress had been made towards an agreement to address climate change. Outside the fortress-like Bella Center, police had met peaceful protests with violence. Inside, the smaller, poorer, and most threatened countries had effectively been excluded from the negotiation process. A process on which their survival depended.

As Obama walked toward the podium, I knew that even if he gave a speech that topped his magnificent effort in Oslo, it still wouldn’t mean that the fair, ambitious and binding treaty I hoped for would be signed. In all honesty, most people had known for months that that sort of result was a fantasy. What I didn’t know, what I hadn’t even imagined, was that the speech I was about to hear would not only offer no inspiration, but also arrogantly demand that the world sign on to an agreement of America’s creation, which served America’s interests, and which doomed millions to famine, flood and destruction.

With this speech, Obama allied himself with the idea that the powerful will make decisions, and the powerless will suffer the consequences. He allied himself with the concept that what can be taken, should be taken. He allied himself with the fallacy that we are not responsible for the damage we inflict on others. The equality, the justice and the humility he called for in Oslo were gone.

Obama made a mistake in Copenhagen. He was far from the only one to do so. In his defense, people will say that he was exhausted from the health care debate and the trans-atlantic flight, that the speech was a negotiation tactic, and above all that he was being realistic in the face of a skeptical American public and an enormous, chaotic conference on the verge of collapse. All true. But he would do well to remember his own words, delivered in such stark elegance a scant week before:

“We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us. But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place.”

Climate change is more than just bigger hurricanes and hotter summers. It is the natural manifestation of humanity’s inability to impose limits on our own consumption, or deal with its consequences. In Oslo, President Obama inspired us to “reach for the world that ought to be.” In Copenhagen, he reminded us how far we still have to go.

Being a youth here is definitely a unique position, and has had a significant impact on the way I’ve felt throughout this conference. There are over 2,000 international youth here, 500 US, and for the first Conference of the parties, youth are being recognized as an officially constituency called “YOUNGO”. I feel that YOUNGO’s voice is being heard through vast media coverage, actions, and a very unique perspective. But at the same time it is frustrating to see youth being shutout. At Secretary of Energy Steven Chu’s US briefing yesterday only one person was allowed in to ask questions to represent each group, and judging by the fact that most people in the line were youth who had been waiting for the briefing for hours, I couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with the demographic. Also at a briefing last week the “bouncers” of the US center only seemed to be letting in older people.

I feel that I am having am immense impact here in Copenhagen and that US youth and youth as a whole are, and that people are beginning to realize that survival is not negotiable in a treaty, I also am frustrated with the lack of flexibility within each nation’s stance. It almost seems that every country has just stayed within its own expectations, with the small island states and developing countries calling for adaptation funding and a fair, ambitious, and binding treaty, and the developed countries like the United States have compromised but not enough to support the science. Throughout this second week non-government organization delegates (including myself for the Sierra Student Coalition) are being taken out of the process by being restricted from access to the Bella Center. This has given me time to see what is happening around the conference, including an immense amount of side events, exhibits, and action going on around these issues. But we can’t deny that removing legitimate organizers from an important process to make room for the hundreds of staff people that heads of staff may bring is taking the power from the people.

Sometimes it feels that no matter what we do here, no matter what anyone does anywhere, that the people in power will not listen. That no matter the bicycle critical mass happening in the streets of Copenhagen tomorrow, or the 10,000 people that marched to the Bella Center in protest on the International Day of Climate Action on the 12th, that the power will never truly be transferred. But this is our only chance.

A friend of mine here from Oregon told me that she was talking to an assistant of a negotiator about what makes the negotiators think or change their mind, and if anything we do can have an actual effect. And everytime I have seen people devoting their whole lives to this cause, everytime I have seen the face of another youth who I know if missing their finals or got into countless arguments with their parents about attending this events, I remember what she told me he said. He said that what we do is something that no one appreciates until it is gone. Imagine this movement if there weren’t crazy protests, if there weren’t 2,000 youth walking around the Bella Center asking the aging delegates “How old will you be in 2050?”, if there weren’t people risking their lives for this movement. It would be dead. We are the passion and the heart behind everything that this rush for survival is, and no matter how powerless I may feel at times in the convolusion of negotiations, or how helpless I may feel when no one listens, I know that we are the silent roar that these negotiators have yet to hear. And I know that if they had marched alongside me on the International Day of Climate Action, they would see not only other middle aged men, but rather people of every age, color, and language.

I have never felt more human than I do in this fight against climate change.

Speech by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at ICLEI event during COP15 from ICLEI Global on Vimeo.

Mayor Bloomberg didn’t mince words in his opening talk during ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability's panel discussion in Copenhagen: Cities need direct funding for climate mitigation. Cities produce approximately 75 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and worldwide, so you have to send the money to where the problem exists, and where climate impacts will be felt first.

That’s been an oft-repeated headline in the media over the past week, of course. But Mayor Bloomberg drove home the crucial secondary message that isn’t always getting through: Local governments need to be empowered not only because they’re responsible for GHG emissions, but because they’ve proven they know how to implement climate action measures successfully and efficiently.

Climate change is a monolithic problem for governments to tackle. (breaking news, right?) Where do you start? What are the most practical and cost-effective measures to implement? Local governments have already developed a playbook and defined a roadmap for emissions reductions. Mayor Bloomberg highlighted the success of New York’s approach, through its PlaNYC sustainability plan, the new green buildings legislation, and a commitment to accountability.

When you watch the video, also take note of the way Mayor Bloomberg frames the importance of climate action in New York:

We’ve had an environmental agenda that unchokes our economy, cleans up our air, saves us some money, and as a byproduct, helps stop us from destroying the planet. I’ve always thought that if you want to make process, you have to bring [the topic of climate change] back to something that’s near term and personal, otherwise people talk about it but aren’t committed to it, and certainly aren’t willing to spend their money and time to change it.

 

There are great pictures being posted by the 50 or so Sierra Club staff and volunteers who are in Copenhagen. Check 'em out.

Put this on your list of things to do today: 1. Join the Copenhagen group for the latest news, video, pics, and Tweets from folks in Copenhagen. 2. Watch this video and join the Clean Energy Solutions Campaign group here on Climate Crossroads.

So I was wondering, why is it that commercial air travel is considered so non-green? It seems unjust that my efforts to live green all year are negated by a few flights to Sierra Club headquarters and a trip or two to visit my parents.

Most carbon calculators - but notably not ours at Sierra Club Green Home (www.sierraclubgreenhome.com) - penalize even the dark green citizen who is required to fly commercial for work. Let's say you're a sales manager, you diligently recycle, you watch the thermostats, you have low-water landscaping, you eat organic vegetables, you're doing everything right except your job requires you to fly from Denver to Cincinnati twice a month. According to most evaluations, you are a serious carbon emitter. I don't think this is right, it's not fair to call this person a polluter. His or her lifestyle and home are green, and should be respected as such.

Hope I’m not too late on this one. If you’re like me, you still haven’t done much of your holiday shopping. What? There are still two weeks until Christmas, and Hanukkah started only a few days ago.

So, who isn’t tempted around the holidays, with all the great sales and so many people to impress, to buy, buy, buy? I know I’m susceptible. I adore buying gifts for people. It’s one of my favorite feelings to find the perfect gift for someone, something they mentioned off-hand once months ago, and had no idea you remembered.

That being said, I strongly believe there is just way too much stuff in this world. Finding the perfect gift is great, but buying just for the sake of giving something? Not so much. Here are my five best tips for making your holiday gift-giving a little greener, both in terms of the environment, and that extra cash you’ll still have in your wallet.

1. Buy Time
I love to give the gift of time spent together. This is one of my favorite gifts to give children, especially, rather than a plastic toy they’ll just outgrow and cast away. My sister and I like to do this for my little brother, who’s 7 – we’ve taken him on a day-trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, and owe him a trip to the Academy of Sciences. He might not like it as much in the moment as another set of Star Wars Legos, but we like to think he’ll remember how his cool older sisters took him places when he was a kid. Beyond kids, this is a great gift for anyone in your life – a concert, a cooking class, even a meal out together at a place they’ve been wanting to try. And it won’t clutter their house or come wrapped in plastic.

Note: If you are forced to gift-give to someone you, ahem, are not the biggest fan of, it is totally acceptable to give them a gift of something to do that you don’t have to participate in!

2. Make – or Buy – Something Homemade
Homemade gifts are all the rage, especially in this economy, and for good reason. I like homemade foodie treats, like hot fudge (this recipe is super delicious), jams and infused alcohols. If I could sew or knit, I’d be all about those kind of hand-crafted gifts, but alas, my high school offered only Foods class, and not Home Ec.

If, like me, you’re not so crafty, turn to Etsy or Foodzie for something adorable or delicious (or both!). Both sites have Buy Local options, which I’ve linked to. Foodie gifts from your local farmers market are another great option. Give jams, olive oils, or whatever your area is known for. If you’re traveling to see your family anyway, bring them a special treat made in your hometown.

3. Buy Used or Secondhand New
Who says a gift has to be brand new? I love scouring Craigslist for gift ideas. Chances are someone has whatever you need, used it once, and decided they didn’t need it. You’ll save money and reduce your impact – what’s not to love about that? Have a friend or family member you just can’t imagine giving a previously-been-owned gift? Craigslist and eBay are full of items I like to call “secondhand new,” those that someone bought, never used, and never got around to returning.

4. Buy One Less
One of my favorite rules for holiday gift giving is to buy “one less.” For example, if you have the idea for 3 perfect gifts for someone, and you’re only able to get 2 of them, they won’t know. All they’ll realize is that they got two fantastic gifts from you, and they’ll never know about that just absolutely perfect gift you had to get them but couldn’t track down in time. This has helped take the pressure off me when I’m looking for “just one more” perfect gift.

5. Ask What They Want
It’s not very romantic or mysterious, but asking what someone wants is a great way to reduce. This is admittedly hard for me, because I do love the surprise-and-delight factor. But so many times what I think is the perfect gift for someone might not be everything they ever dreamed of and more. Asking what someone wants will make the recipient happy, and you won’t have wasted your money on something they’ll never use anyway.

***

That about wraps it up, and speaking of wrapping? Remember that while colorful holiday wrapping paper may be cute, it’s not so adorable when you think about it being shipped overseas to be recycled or meeting its untimely death in a landfill. Try newspapers, scraps of cloth, and reusing old gift bags this season!

Are you planning to use any of these tips to “green” your holiday season? What are your best green holiday tips?

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(Like what you read? Read my blog prettygreengirl.com.)

So, starting tomorrow non-governmental organizations will have restricted access to the Bella Center.  This includes all sects of civil society, not just the youth or environmental organizations.  For Tuesday and Wednesday only 20% of all NGO delegations will be allowed to enter the Bella Center and further restrictions will be in place as the week goes on.  On Thursday only 1000 NGO delegates will be allowed in and by Friday the number will be reduced to 90.  That’s a drastic decrease considering that there are 2,000 youth delegates alone.

Now, granted, I’m pretty biased in this opinion, but I feel that these restrictions are taking the democracy out of the negotiations.  Without civil society it will just be a bunch of politicians, diplomats and negotiators wandering the halls of the Bella Center theoretically working towards a treaty that will determine the future of my generation.  Maybe some random ambassadors and their families.  That’s not what I consider to be representative of our world’s population and I think that it’s a little ridiculous that we’re being shut out of the negotiations just as big decisions are being made. 

The UNFCCC is giving a false front to democracy in the climate negotiations by accrediting a bunch of NGOs and then later shutting them out of an event that some travel across the globe to be able to attend.  So I’m asking the UN to remember that people are at the root of politics and that we should be brought back into the negotiations that will determine the future of our planet.  We’re here, we’re engaged, and we’re ready for some serious negotiating to happen.  Now let us participate and become the world leaders that we’re capable of being.

The Matrix team is in Copenhagen to demand climate action. Whoa! Take the red pill and join the Copenhagen group here on Climate Crossroads to get the latest news and see pictures from the COP 15 talks. Or take the blue pill and go on your merry way.

The footage below is from two days ago but it accurately captures the immediacy of the situation in small island nations like Tuvalu.  Ian Fry is the head Tuvalu delegate to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. His impassioned plea for a legally binding agreement here in Copenhagen gave me chills.

In these drawn out negotiations it's quite easy to forget that survival is even in question. But it is, and it's something that the negotiators of Annex I and fast-developing nations need to start realizing.

Heres' the transcript:

The entire population of Tuvalu lives below two meters above sea level. The highest point above sea level in the entire nation of Tuvalu is only four meters.

Madam President, we are not naive to the circumstances and the political considerations that are before us. It appears that we are waiting for some senators in the US Congress to conclude before we can consider this issue properly. It is an irony of the modern world that the fate of the world is being determined by some senators in the U.S. Congress.

We note that President Obama recently went to Norway to pick up a Nobel Prize, rightly or wrongly. But we can suggest that for him to honor this Nobel Prize, he should address the greatest threat to humanity that we have before us, climate change, and the greatest threat to security, climate change. So I make a strong plea that we give proper consideration to a conclusion at this meeting that leads to two legally binding agreements.

Madame President, this is not just an issue of Tuvalu. Pacific island countries — Kiribas, Marshall Islands, Maldives, Haiti, Bahamas, Grenada — Sao Tome in West Africa and all the LDCs: Bhutan, Laos, Mali, Senegal, Timor-Leste — and millions of other people around this world are affected enormously by climate change.

This is not just Tuvalu.

Over the last few days I’ve received calls from all over the world, offering faith and hope that we can come to a meaningful conclusion on this issue. Madame President, this is not a ego trip for me. I have refused to undertake media interviews, because I don’t think this is just an issue of an ego trip for me. I am just merely a humble and insignificant employee of the environment department of the government of Tuvalu. As a humble servant of the government of Tuvalu, I have to make a strong plea to you that we consider this matter properly. I don’t want to cause embarrassment to you or the government. But I want to have this issue to be considered properly.

I clearly want to have the leaders put before them an option for considering a legally binding treaty to sign on at this meeting. I make this a strong and impassioned plea. We’ve had our proposal on the table for six months. Six months, it’s not the last two days of this meeting. I woke this morning, and I was crying, and that’s not easy for a grown man to admit. The fate of my country rests in your hands.

Week 2 of COP15, here we goooo!

Perhaps the most salient reason for disputes at the COP15 negotiations is that nations truly do not understand each other.  Negotiators advocate on behalf of their own nations' interests without much consideration for the the needs of other nations.

This past Thursday, Chinese and American youth gathered at the University of Copenhagen for a dinner meeting to talk about the COP15 negotiations and their implications for us as young people.  Over Chinese food, we discussed why we are in Copenhagen as well as how Chinese and American youth are quite different in their approach to environmental activism.

The event was extremely fascinating for me as I have never interacted in such an environment with Chinese youth.  Our two countries have a long history of contention on issues of trade and national identity, but in our discussions, it became quite apparent that we have more in common than we could ever imagine. And the things that do set us apart can be used to learn from each other.

A relationship between Chinese and American youth is crucial to the development of a clean and green future as we will be negotiating on behalf of our own countries in the near future. The more we know about each other, the more successful future negotiations will be. Climate change is a burden that we all share, and in collaborating, we have the opportunity to completely challenge our ideological differences and solve the climate crisis that we have been presented with.

In just spending two hours with our Chinese counterparts, immeasurable progress was made. Perhaps it would do the negotiators at COP15 some good to sit down together to share food and stories of their paths to COP15.  Actually, I think I'm going to recommend this to Yvo, I think he'd go for it.

Continue to read about the SSC's travels to COP15 atwww.sscinternational.org