Friends of the earth
In this post:Global warming - a minority view? It is per the Washington's Post's editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt.
Ending Big Oil Giveaways
International Climate Victory
And more
In this post:Global warming - a minority view? It is per the Washington's Post's editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt.
Ending Big Oil Giveaways
International Climate Victory
And more
Ms. Jackson Makes a Change
Less than a month into the job, and with only a skeleton staff, Lisa Jackson, the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has already engineered an astonishing turnaround.She has pledged to reverse or review three Bush administration directives that had slowed the government’s response to global warming and has brought a new sense of urgency to an issue that President Bush treated indifferently. She has also boosted morale at an agency badlydemoralized after eight years of political meddling.
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Too Many Cars
A car built in 2009 belches out 90 percent less tailpipe pollution as one built in the 1960s. But the net benefits to the atmosphere have not materialized, explains Global Warming blogger Emily Gertz, because the average "vehicle miles" driven per person has tripled. So making cars more environmentally friendly isn't enough: we also need to transform the way cities are built.
A Smart Growth Future for Maryland
While I would like to see the words bicycle or bicycling in this bill (HB 1116/SB 878) it does * Strive for less traffic congestion and more transportation choices, as measured by a reduction in vehicle miles traveled;
and additionally
* Provide a greater percentage of new homes affordable to working families;
* Create more jobs near transit stations and in communities that need them most;
* Ensure that the water in our creeks, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay is clean and healthy for fish, crabs and people
13 Scary Facts about Global Warming
A FEW FACTS
35% -- Increase in the global carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1992.
34% -- Percentage that 2008's Arctic seasonal sea ice melt outpaced normal levels.
$427 million -- Amount spent by the oil and coal industries in the first six months of 2008 in political contributions, lobbying expenditures and advertising to oppose climate action.
Action: Sustainability City Council Hearing
[Please tell your City Council member to vote for the Plan and attend in person if you can.]
The collective efforts of the Baltimore Commission on Sustainability, working groups, community associations, and interested citizens across the city have culminated in the creation of Baltimore ’s first Sustainability Plan. The Plan has been approved by both the Commission on Sustainability and the Baltimore Planning Commission.
The next step toward final adoption is an informational hearing by the Baltimore City Council on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM in the City Council Chambers, 4th Floor of City Hall, 100 N. Holliday Street .
Because of your interest in the sustainability of Baltimore , you may wish to attend this hearing. There will be time allowed for public comments.
Please note that the security procedures at City Hall require that you bring photo-identification with you.
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Zaleski at sarah.zaleski@baltimorecity.gov or 410-396-4556 for further information.
Obama moves to let states cap car emissions
WASHINGTON - Plunging into energy and climate change policies, President Barack Obama on Monday moved to give states a freer hand in curbing greenhouse gas emissions from cars, and to enact tighter fuel-efficiency standards that could remake the auto industry.Obama stressed that his goal is to work with carmakers on key administration goals: energy independence and combating global warming.
"Let me be clear: Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry," Obama said at the White House. "It is to help America's automakers prepare for the future."
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Taking Aim at CO2 in Infrastructure Projects
...A Portland-based start-up, Ecologistics, has developed a software program to help government agencies calculate the carbon dioxide costs right alongside the capital costs of their purchasing decisions when constructing or remodeling commercial buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure.
The software integrates a traditional life-cycle energy assessment of all the project materials — from resource extraction to installation — and compares suppliers not only according to the lowest bid, but also by the carbon dioxide emissions generated, fuel use and vehicle miles traveled, among other metrics.
“We do a pre-bid analysis of the materials supply chain and put together a footprint, so agencies can make a decision based on more than just price,” said Bryce Benge, a development coordination manager for Ecologistics, from his booth at the trade show.
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Anti fuel efficient vehicle bill alert
State Law will change the roads motor scooters are allowed on from 50mph or less down to 30mph or less. [Gee whiz, if any speed differential is such a hazard we seriously need to drop our residential, business district and school zone speed limits down to 4mph. Seriously, lets do something about drivers going 15+mph over the speed limit first before cracking down on the slower vehicles.]
Stop the rush to drill
The U.S. Interior Department is planning to start the leasing process so that Big Oil can drill 50 miles from the Chesapeake Bay starting in a few years. Please speak out against this proposal.