tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13552640205206114722024-02-08T04:14:48.053-08:00Carbonless CopyFacts and actions to reduce our carbon footprintBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-25279571711177660812011-02-04T10:17:00.000-08:002011-02-04T10:19:10.879-08:00Stop the Do Nothing on Climate bills!Hi - I've been taking a break to do some other writing, but I had to let you know about this. Senator John Barrasso (does Barrasso make anyone else think of embarrassment?) of Wyoming has introduced a bill that would prevent ANYONE in the US from doing ANYTHING about climate change. OK, not quite, but close. It would prevent any Federal agency including the EPA (um, that's their job) from doing anything to reduce the US's contribution to climate change. Yeah, I know, we shouldn't even have to read about stuff like this, but it's happening. So please go <a href="https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1777">here</a> and sign a letter to your members of Congress to oppose bills that are breaking out like a case of hives all over the Capitol to gut the Clean Air Act and repeal the EPA's scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to human health. <br />
And stay cool! (No problem with that in most of the US at the moment)<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-86948135557108623442010-06-25T15:20:00.000-07:002010-06-25T15:22:04.677-07:00Call, call again!It's just possible that Senators are going to show some backbone on climate legislation. <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-25-are-senate-dems-going-to-go-for-it-on-climate/">Here's</a> an article from Grist giving evidence for hope. Of course, there's nothing like us, their constituents, calling them and telling them we support strong climate legislation to help them develop backbone. If you haven't called them yet, now is a great time, while they're enthusiastic, and before the fall elections when Republicans, few of whom have shown any interest in fighting climate change, may gain seats in the Senate. Go <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">here</a> to find your Senator's contact info. If you absolutely can't call, email, but calling is many times more effective than email. See my <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2010/06/call-your-senators-if-you-havent.html">last post</a> for more details on Senate climate legislation. <br />
<br />
If you're going on vacation, or even if you're not, remember that once you've selected the lowest-impact method of transportation possible, you can offset the rest. <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2009/12/should-you-buy-carbon-offsets.html">Here's</a> my blog post exploring the controversial world of carbon offsets.<br />
<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-1026745570910936432010-06-04T16:49:00.000-07:002010-06-04T16:59:01.496-07:00Call Your Senators If You Haven't AlreadyDespite conflicting opinions in the blogosphere on the merits of the American Power Act (quite a macho bill title--are they compensating for something?), it does seem clear that it's time to pass climate legislation. If Congress turns more Republican after the fall elections, and most pundits think it will, the chances of passing decent legislation shrink dramatically. <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-02-does-the-senate-climate-bill-gut-the-clean-air-act">Here</a>, on Grist, is another good discussion of the American Power Act and why it's an improvement over the Clean Air Act alone. (Warning: Fake graphic "gutting" photo.) I haven't seen a good discussion of why the APA is either an improvement over the <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-on-clear-act.html">CLEAR Act</a> or just more likely to get passed (I asked that question today in a comment <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-02-does-the-senate-climate-bill-gut-the-clean-air-act#c408343">here</a> on the Grist post). So my recommended strategy is still to call your Senators (find their numbers <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">here</a>) and urge them to pass the strongest climate legislation possible as quickly as possible. You might also want to mention that you don't think big government subsidies for nuclear power are a good idea. New Mexico's Senator Jeff Bingaman in particular needs pressure, since he's been lobbying for passage of an <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-03-23-kerry-vs.-bingaman-on-the-senates-approach-to-energy">energy bill without strong climate provisions</a>. Let us know your thoughts and what happens, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-84522711126946015172010-05-14T15:20:00.000-07:002010-05-14T15:23:17.389-07:00The time is now to think, act, and shareHere's a sampling of comments about the new Senate climate bill introduced this week As you'll see, they vary from, "This is a horrible bill" to "This bill will do the job." New Mexico's <a href="http://newenergyeconomy.org/">New Energy Economy</a> group says, "The cap and trade bill introduced this week by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman will provide expanded control and power to polluting industries and Wall Street." They encourage people to call their Senators in support of the CLEAR Act, the cap and dividend bill that I wrote about in my <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2010/04/clear-act.html">April 2 post</a>. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, a call is worth 100 emails. Click <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">here</a> to find your Senator's phone # and other contact info. If you won't call, email, because an email is worth an infinite amount of doing nothing. (If you can, do both!). Repower America, a site affiliated with Al Gore, says "<b style="font-weight: normal;">This is the starting gun for the Senate to craft and pass the strongest possible climate and clean energy legislation," and urges us to contact our Senators by email <a href="http://cpaf.repoweramerica.org/page/s/repetition">here</a>. Here's a more in-depth analysis by Climate Progress. Whatever you decide, please contact your Senators and urge them to pass some sort of energy and climate legislation as soon as possible. Senators are waiting to see what the public says. Climate change will not wait while we make up our minds. Let us know what you decide in the comments, and </b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Stay cool,</b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Bonney</b>Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-40818730816254073402010-05-07T16:17:00.000-07:002010-05-07T16:17:21.483-07:00If you needed another reason to cut back on fossil fuels,the recent oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico provided one--or millions of reasons, if you consider all the wildlife that will be killed and all the carbon dioxide that will be released. There are many online petitions you can sign to send a message to President Obama to halt offshore oil drilling proposals in the US. Here's <a href="https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4221">one from the Sierra Club</a>. Send me your news and views, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-3764186253154892232010-04-27T21:20:00.000-07:002010-04-27T21:20:56.311-07:00Emergency Action Alert--Please call Senators todayPlease go to the Environmental Defense Fund's link <a href="https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?alertId=1701&pg=makeACall&autologin=true">here</a> for details. While I don't like this bill as well as the CLEAR bill (see my posts on the CLEAR bill <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2010/04/clear-act.html">here</a> and <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-on-clear-act.html">here</a>), I think any bill we can get passed this year that reduces CO2 as much as possible by 2018 is much better than no bill, and it sounds like there is a need for action today. So I'm going to tell my Senators just that. Please call yours, too! <br />
Thanks, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-13191113006640719592010-04-23T16:33:00.000-07:002010-04-23T16:39:18.317-07:00Veterans Getting Behind Clean EnergyIf you need any more evidence that climate change is real and we need to take action, check out this link: <a href="http://securityandclimate.cna.org/">National Security and the Threat of Climate Change.</a> This report, directed by 11 retired US military admirals and generals, says "The U.S. should commit to a stronger national and international role to help stabilize climate changes at levels that will avoid significant disruption to global security and stability." A large majority of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan believe our energy policy undermines national security, and over 70% support changes that promote clean energy and reduce climate change, according to a poll done by <a href="http://www.votevets.org/index_html">Vote Vets</a>, reported on the radio program <a href="http://www.loe.org/shows/shows.htm?programID=10-P13-00016#feature3">Living on Earth</a>. Just as in the first Earth Day, veterans are getting involved in environmental work. Some have joined conservation programs, are installing solar panels, or have joined <a href="http://www.operationfree.net/">Operation Free</a> to strengthen support for national legislation on climate change and green energy. These veterans have seen lives being lost because of failed US energy policy and want to prevent more loss of life and health due to climate change. I recently started bicycling home again after my crash in January to reduce my carbon footprint. I'm sure many of you are taking action to reduce climate change. Inspire others by sharing what you're doing in the comments! It may seem small, but multiplied many times it adds up. <br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-28615033434283960752010-04-16T18:22:00.000-07:002010-04-16T18:24:42.280-07:00More on the CLEAR ActI hope you'll find ways to celebrate Earth Day in your community. In Santa Fe, <a href="http://www.santafegreenline.com/">here</a> is a listing of fun possibilities (scroll down; they're on the left). Feel free to post other events in any community in comments to this post. Here are some interesting comments on the CLEAR Act, which I posted about last week, and comparisons to other national legislation to reduce greenhouse gases: <a href="http://supportclearact.com/what-people-are-saying-about-clear-act">What people are saying about the CLEAR Act</a>; <a href="http://www.wri.org/stories/2010/02/wri-responds-questions-about-clear-act-analysis-methodology">World Resources Institute Analysis of the CLEAR Act and Other Climate and Energy Proposals</a>; <a href="http://earthday.net/blog/2010/02/05/economist-endorses-the-clear-act-over-a-cap-and-trade-bill/">The Economist Endorses the CLEAR Act</a>. I'm intrigued with the idea of capping greenhouse gas emissions, auctioning off permits for the right to emit a steadily decreasing amount of carbon dioxide, and dividing up the proceeds among the American public (with 25% going to further emissions reductions and to help those most affected adjust to the disruptions of climate change). What do you think? I'm going to start putting these blog posts on the Green Line, the Santa Fe New Mexican's green living website, as well as here. If you know of other places on the web I can post, let me know, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-7251910577908508842010-04-02T18:11:00.000-07:002010-04-02T18:20:05.871-07:00The CLEAR ActIn December, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the <a href="http://cantwell.senate.gov/issues/CLEAR%20Act%20how%20it%20works.pdf">CLEAR Act</a>, another promising bill to reduce climate change. CLEAR stands for Carbon Limits and Energy for American Renewal. Its approach is called cap-and-dividend. Under this bill:<br />
<ul><li> the Department of Energy would auction carbon shares (1 share = a permit to emit a ton of CO2), to U.S. companies that import and produce fossil fuels</li>
<li>75% of the auction proceeds would be divided evenly among U.S. consumers each month</li>
<li> 25% would go to a fund (the Clean Energy Reinvestment Trust Fund) to pay for additional greenhouse gas emissions reductions, low‐carbon energy investment, climate change adaptation, and regional economic adjustments </li>
<li>The number of permits sold each year would decrease to achieve a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2020 and an 83% reduction by 2050 </li>
<li>The permit price would be determined by bidding on permits but regulated to be within a certain range to reduce the economic damage caused by too much price volatility </li>
<li>Only producers and importers would be required to purchase permits and allowed to bid </li>
</ul>The apparent advantages of this bill, pointed out by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-sandler/the-cantwell-collins-clea_b_390353.html">Mike Sandler</a> at the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">Huffington Post</a>, are that 100% of permits are auctioned, no offsets are allowed (offsets let an emitter buy shares in a project that reduces CO2 rather than reducing the emitter's CO2 production), and no one but producers and importers can bid on permits (no speculators, investment firms, etc.). In other bills, such as ACES (Waxman-Markey, which passed the House last year), many permits were given away for free, offsets were allowed, and third parties could buy and sell permits.<br />
<br />
What do you think of this bill? Post your comments, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-84162937550472200332010-03-20T15:48:00.000-07:002010-03-20T15:55:16.249-07:00Vets and others speak out on climate legislationHere's the promised <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-kerry/listen-to-these-vets_b_486466.html">video by VoteVets.org</a> outlining the link between oil dependence and war, which John Kerry put up on the Huffington Post blog and commented on. <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-03-18-outline-kerry-graham-lieberman-bill-hew-to-obamas-clean-energy/">Here's</a> an outline of new climate and energy legislation introduced by Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman to mirror the <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2009/06/house-energy-and-commerce-committee.html">legislation passed by the House last June</a>. And <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-03-19-open-letter-kerry-graham-lieberman-bipartisan-path-forward/">here's</a> an open letter by a Grist blogger David Roberts to these Senators on what sounds like a sensible approach to getting this climate legislation passed. Please let your Senators know what you think <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">here</a>. I'll be gone next week visiting my extended family (yes, I bought offsets). Let us know what you think of these pieces, and what you think we should be doing to fight climate change, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-17112535950825346212010-03-12T14:54:00.000-08:002010-03-12T14:54:43.810-08:00Block the Dirty Air Act<div style="text-align: left;">President Obama last May proposed improving gas mileage standards for cars and decreasing their greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA rule that would accomplish this is set to go into effect April 1, but Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska has proposed a bill that would block it. The Senate could vote within days on her dirty air act. Please click <a href="http://www.environmentamerica.org/action/energy/dirty-air-act">here</a> to sign a petition urging your Senator to vote no on this act and all legislation that attempts to block or freeze enforcement of Clean Air Act limits on greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. According to <a href="http://www.environmentnewmexico.org/">Environment New Mexico</a>, the EPA rule would save twice as much oil as we import from the Persian Gulf in a year and reduce global warming pollution by 900 million metric tons, the amount emitted by 194 coal-burning power plants. Next week: a video from vets urging passage of clean energy climate legislation. Let me know your thoughts and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
Bonney<br />
<br />
</div>Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-1214448273970263312010-03-05T19:03:00.000-08:002010-03-05T19:06:40.268-08:00Alternatives to nuclear power for slowing climate changeDespite a big push for nuclear power in the US and elsewhere as an answer to the woes of climate change, there remain serious issues that make it a solution of last resort, unless and until these issues can be addressed. The reason nuclear is brought up is that wind and solar, though very good potential sources of energy, have the problem of being intermittent, and nuclear power plants have almost continuous operation with no greenhouse gas emissions. The current electric power system requires about 35-40% of the power, termed baseload, to be provided by a steadily available source of energy, mostly burning coal in the US. This book and website, <a href="http://www.ieer.org/carbonfree/index.html">Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free</a>, outlines how to reduce greenhouse gases and provide baseload without the use of nuclear energy.<br />
<br />
The US can achieve large reductions in greenhouse gases, not to mention energy costs, from conservation measures. <a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/05/geothermal-development-expands-globally">Geothermal energy</a>, from hot rock and water below the Earth's surface, is a source of steady power, has a long track record, doesn't generate greenhouse gases, and is being rapidly developed. It's also becoming more economical with tax incentives and stimulus money. Although geothermal plants have a high up-front cost, the cost of energy generated from them is less than for coal, as outlined in this <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-geothermal-power-compete-with-coal-on-price">Scientific American</a> piece. Other potential solutions to the problem of solar and wind being intermittent include using hydrogen fuel cells to store the energy these sources generate, and pumping water uphill when solar and wind are available and generating power by sending it downhill when they aren't.<br />
<br />
Nuclear power still has all the issues that it had in the 1970's and early 1980's: no long-term solution to the problem of waste, very large cost of building plants, and safety issues with operating the plants and mining uranium. Also, though nuclear plants don't generate CO2 during operation, mining and processing uranium with current methods does generate greenhouse gases. Some sources point to fast neutron reactors, which potentially solve the problem of waste by producing more fuel from depleted fuel, as the wave of the future. However <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/FastReactors.pdf">this article</a> points to serious problems with these reactors which have resulted in the closure of most of them since their introduction in the 1950's.<br />
<br />
With the track record of geothermal, new methods of storing energy from solar and wind, conservation, and new sources of energy being developed, I think we should be very cautious about pursuing a technology which has the potential to release significant amounts of radioactivity for millenia. What do you think?<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-57645251232496300432010-02-26T14:47:00.000-08:002010-02-26T14:52:00.755-08:00Do We Need Nuclear Power to Reduce Climate Change?In researching this question, I ran across an interesting website, <a href="http://www.procon.org/">ProCon.org.</a> Their goal is to "<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">provide resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias. We do not express opinions on our research projects</span></span>." On this issue, at least, I think they've succeeded. Here's their piece, <a href="http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/viewanswers.asp?questionID=001271">"Is expanding nuclear energy production necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?"</a> Let me know what you think, and next week, I'll let you know what I think!<br />
Stay cool,<br />
Bonney<br />
<br />
Here's the comments I submitted to the Environmental Improvement Board regarding proposed regulation of greenhouse gases. You can submit comments through the end of the hearing on Monday, or attend the hearing and present your comments in person. See last week's blog post for details.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Re: Docket number EIB 08-19 (R) </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have read the proposed regulations and support the proposal to set a science based cap on greenhouse gas emissions at least 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. As a former Environment Department employee, I find the proposed regulations to be fair and enforceable. Setting these regulations will provide a more predictable environment for business than the current lack of regulation in which we are left to wonder what form regulation will take. As a scientist and writer studying climate change for the last year and a half, I've concluded, along with a large majority of scientists studying the issue, that climate change is one of the most severe environmental problems facing the species of planet Earth, including humans. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">New Mexico has the chance to join California and Massachusetts in passing regulations that create a favorable environment for investment in renewable energy, spurring a green economic recovery, and to to have a large influence on what form Federal regulations will take. I encourage the Environmental Improvement Board to adopt these regulations. As reported by Ceres, a national network of investors and public interest groups, the world's largest investors released a statement in January 2010 calling on governments to adopt climate change policy that will create a stable investment environment. "Given that Copenhagen was a missed opportunity to create one fully functional international carbon market, it is more important than ever that individual governments implement regional and domestic policy change to stimulate the creation of a low carbon economy,” said Peter Dunsombe, chairman of the IIGCC, a network of European investors. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I call on the Environmental Improvement Board to adopt these regulations. </div><br />
<h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br />
</span></h2>Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-35213134756008154662010-02-19T18:09:00.000-08:002010-02-19T18:14:56.449-08:00Speak Out for a Greenhouse Gas Cap in New Mexico<a href="http://newenergyeconomy.org/">New Energy Economy</a>, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that sees New Mexico's unique opportunity to shape climate change policy in the US, has partnered with the <a href="http://nmenvirolaw.org/">NM Law Center</a>, an nonprofit with a long history of legal action protecting New Mexico's environment and people, to petition the <a href="http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/eib/">Environmental Improvement Board</a> to reduce greenhouse gases in the state. We are ranked 2nd in the nation for solar potential and 12th for wind. Investors are <a href="http://www.ceres.org/Page.aspx?pid=1177">calling on governments</a> to regulate greenhouse gases and energy efficiency to create a stable environment for low-carbon energy investments. The EIB will hold a public hearing on Monday, March 1, 2010 beginning at 10 a.m. at the State Personnel Office Auditorium, Willie Ortiz Building, 2600 Cerrillos Rd. in Santa Fe on these proposed regulations (Note this is a CHANGE of location). There are three ways you can make your voice heard: Go to the public hearing and speak in favor of these regulations, which will apply to any source emitting more than 10,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year; submit a written comment by the end of the hearing (see the fifth paragraph of<a href="http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/nmregister/xx/xx24/Environotice.htm"> this notice</a>); or sign the New Energy Economy's <a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5385/t/9138/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=226">petition</a> in favor of the new regs. There are currently no national caps on greenhouse gases, although federal regulations require sources emitting over 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases to report their emissions. See <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2010/01/operation-climate-vote-and-eci.html">this post </a>on federal legislation. We need to take every reasonable action on every possible front to reduce greenhouse gases in light of the seriousness of climate change. Thanks for all your actions! Share them here, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-36494078630937663552010-02-12T15:05:00.000-08:002010-02-12T15:09:42.598-08:00Sustainable Cooking and Junk Mail Follow-upIf you haven't been to the actual Carbonless Copy blog, but have just been reading posts in your inbox, go there (<a href="http://www.carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/">www.carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com</a>) to see a comment on last week's post on stopping junk mail. A reader posted a link to the Direct Mail Association's free Mail Preference Service. Following the directions there has cut down on her junk mail significantly. Try it and let us know how it works for you! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://brighterplanet.com/">Brighter Planet</a>, a group from Middlebury, Vermont that helps people mitigate their environmental footprint, recently published a guide to <a href="http://attachments.brighterplanet.com/press_items/local_copies/50/original/SustainableCookingGuide2010.pdf?1264431092">Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking</a>. Inspired by <a href="http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/">Julie Powell's</a> book and the movie <a href="http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/julieandjulia/"><i>Julie and Julia</i></a>, the guide shares information and recipes from hundreds of contributors to help us lighten our "foo<b>d</b>print." According to the guide, "The average American is responsible for about 28.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, of which 20 percent, or 6.1 tons, is related to food. That’s greater than the impact of all their driving and flying habits combined. This might be surprising, given that public discussions of carbon emissions focus heavily on transportation while discussions about the impacts of food are typically centered around non-climate issues. But what it means is that individually and collectively, there is huge opportunity to reduce our climate impact by changing how we eat." Take a look, share by posting a comment, and<br />
Stay cool,<br />
BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-58209604934653362292010-02-05T17:06:00.000-08:002010-02-05T17:57:06.090-08:00MailStopper Didn'tI promised an update on Tonic MailStopper, which I signed up for in May 2009. This is a service which claimed to stop up to 90% of your junk mail in 90 days. Unfortunately, I haven't noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of junk mail I get. However, there are a couple of caveats. The biggest one was stated by the company itself when it sent customers an email in November '09: "We finally looked in the mirror and admitted to ourselves that we can’t change the junk mail industry." MailStopper has changed their name to Precycle and their service to a package of "two energy efficient light bulbs, a reusable bag and a junk mail reduction product that eliminates only what we can guarantee will be eliminated." There are also no recurring charges unless you move. Precycle costs $43 total.<br /><br />The other caveats, at least with the old system, are that you had to go onto MailStopper's web site to identify some of the junk mail that you didn't want in order for them to stop it. They did stop some advertising mail automatically, and did most of the difficult work for you. I'm sure I could have done more to reduce junk mail by going into my account and requesting specific places not send me mail. Another caveat: we get a lot of solicitations for charitable donations, which, depending on how charitable you're feeling, you might or might not classify as junk mail. Again, I could reduce these by going into my account and specifying which ones I didn't want mail from. But I didn't. A final caveat: I didn't quantify how much junk mail I got before or after paying for the service, so I'm just going by my memory, and memories are far from perfect.<br /><br />If you're so inclined, I encourage you to try <a href="http://precycle.tonic.com/">Precycle</a>, or <a href="http://www.41pounds.org/">41 pounds</a>, which charges $41 for 5 years, or<a href="http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm"> ecocycle</a> if you want to do it yourself for free. I'd be interested to know how well any of these work for you. As always, I'm also interested in your ideas and practices for reducing our contributions to global warming. Thanks, and<br />Stay cool,<br />BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-30552264522355309512010-01-29T16:40:00.001-08:002010-01-29T16:59:28.303-08:00Operation Climate Vote and ECI TeleconferenceSorry to have been absent for so long! Many of you know I had a bicycling accident Jan. 12 and was laid up for a couple of weeks. I'm much better now--thanks for all your calls, emails, thoughts and prayers. Fortunately, no car was involved--I just fell, apparently.<br /> Here's a couple of things we can do right now about climate change. Go<a href="http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=49263"> here</a> to join the Environmental Defense Action Fund's 100,000 letters campaign for a strong climate action bill to pass the Senate. They have 50,000 letters already-let's help them get the rest of the way by writing letters and spreading the word about their campaign.<br /> The other thing we can do is to get in on a teleconference the Evangelical Climate Initiative is having on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 11 am Eastern Time. The conference call will feature a preview of what could happen this Spring regarding climate change legislation and how we can help. If you're interested, email alaushkin@creationcare.org to find out more or RSVP for the teleconference. I'm interested just to find out what the Evangelical Climate Initiative is, but I have to work then. If you find out more, let us know by leaving a comment. Be careful out there, and<br />Stay cool,<br />Bonney<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" lang="0" ><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><strong><br /><br /></strong></span></span>Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-37285998375695738442009-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:002009-12-18T15:39:41.227-08:00Some good news, and some funHere's some good news and fun to counteract the rather disappointing news coming out of Copenhagen so far: last week, after years of inaction, the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE52M4JB20090324">EPA finally determined that greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change, endanger human health and welfare</a>. The move is necessary to allow EPA regulation of global warming pollutants. At the same time, the EPA also proposed regulation of the largest sources of carbon emissions. EPA's actions should prod Congress to pass laws that cap greenhouse gases. A climate change bill has passed the House of Representatives, but a similar bill has languished in the Senate while health-care reform is debated. So, before you go full swing into Christmas, solstice, or Kwanzaa (or right after Hanukkah's over), please thank the EPA for these actions by clicking<a href="https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1601"> here</a>. Please change the message so that it says what you want it to. And email your members of Congress to let them know you still support strong climate action despite all the tactics of the global warming deniers and those who are fighting to preserve the status quo. There is an excellent sample letter <a href="https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1651">here</a>, which can be sent to your Senators and representatives with the click of a mouse, that states clearly why the fuss over the stolen climate emails doesn't change the facts of global warming or their seriousness. Again, please change to suit your needs.<br /><br />If you have a slightly sick sense of humor like I do (and don't object to violence to out-of-season vegetables), check out this <a href="http://www.dothegreenthing.com/content/ninjin_the_way_of_the_vegetable_assassin?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2009-12-15+The+best+of+2009+email">funny video from Green Thing</a>.<br /><br />The New Mexican says they're deciding when to print my piece, so look for it this Sunday or the next and I'll link to it when it's published.<br /><br />Resolve to do all you can to fight climate change in 2010. In the meantime, take the above actions, then relax and enjoy the rest of your holidays. I'll post again in the new year.<br />Stay cool,<br />BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-29588097968467685612009-12-11T13:00:00.000-08:002009-12-12T08:12:42.618-08:00Don't be fooled by deniersNot one, but two opinion pieces in the Santa Fe New Mexican last Sunday are full of falsehoods and misleading statements about climate change. I will address these fully in response to the New Mexican, which I'll either excerpt or provide a link to on this blog, but in the meantime you can find facts and links to more information to counter most of the spurious claims in the New Mexican pieces in <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=scientists-respond-to-climategate-controversy">this piece by Scientific American.</a> Remember, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/19/eco.globalwarmingsurvey/index.html">97% of US<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>climate</span> scientists, the scientists who actually study this subject, agree that global warming is real and that it's caused by humans</a>. Our National Academy of Sciences <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> under George W. Bush, along with the academies of science of 10 other nations, agreed that<a href="http://www.nationalacademies.org/onpi/06072005.pdf"> the evidence for climate change and humans' role in it was strong enough to warrant fast action</a> by governments. Update: The US National Academy of Sciences, along with the Academies of Science of 12 other industrialized and emerging nations, signed a<a href="http://www.nationalacademies.org/includes/G8+5energy-climate09.pdf"> statement in June 2009</a> including the following quotes: "Climate change is happening even faster than previously estimated,""The need for urgent action to address climate change is now indisputable," and "Limiting global warming to 2°C would require a very rapid worldwide implementation of all currently available low carbon technologies. The G8+5 should lead the transition to an energy efficient and low carbon world economy." When we are faced with such great consequences and quite substantial evidence, do you think we should wait until the consequences are so dire that they can't be denied? The people who live on various islands and in the polar reaches, not to mention many species of plants and animals, are already facing dire consequences. By the time the consequences are in the faces of the rest of us, because the ocean and the natural world absorbs CO2 and heat and delays these consequences, scientists tell us it will probably be too late to avoid a world far different from the one that civilization evolved in. Do we really want to let a minority of vocal deniers, some of whom have been paid by oil companies to delay government action, confuse us into losing our chance to save ourselves and thousands of other species? Would you rather prepare for a catastrophe that might not happen, or not prepare for a catastrophe that is actually already happening, but not yet to most of us?Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-73605980057984223072009-12-04T16:03:00.000-08:002009-12-04T18:16:51.650-08:00Should You Buy Carbon Offsets?After encouraging you to offset your Thanksgiving travel by using one of the offset programs at the bottom of the homepage, I did more research. Carbon offsets, which are shares of projects you can buy that cancel out your greenhouse gas emissions for various activities, are controversial. Responsible Travel, one of the first travel companies to give travelers the option of buying offsets, <a href="http://www.starbulletin.com/news/nyt/20091118_Experts_say_carbon_offsets_offset_only_travelers_guilt.html">canceled their program</a> in October because they believe that offsets do more to soothe consciences than reduce CO2 output. We do need to ask ourselves whether we're buying offsets to assuage a guilty conscience, or whether we're using them when we've reduced our carbon footprint as much as we can. If you just have to take a flight, buying an offset will reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions if<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>the offset is real. Here's where things get dicey. Michael Wara, a professor at Stanford Law School and former climate scientist, says "we don't know" how many offset projects really reduce CO2 emissions. The hardest part is knowing whether a project would have been done without offsets helping to pay for it. My take is that it's very unlikely that all offset programs would have been done without offset money, so you are paying for some greenhouse gas reduction. Since it's an imperfect mechanism, it's not a great conscience-soother, so don't use it for that. With these cautions in mind, I've changed the links at the bottom of this page to only include carbon offset programs that serve individuals and are retailers for the Climate Action Reserve, which has strict requirements that projects are real, permanent, and additional, and includes independent verification. I encourage you to reduce your carbon footprint as much as you can (see the list of "10 Things" below), look at these sites, and then offset your holiday travel and other activities as much as you see fit. Going through the process will also make each of us more aware of how much greenhouse gas our different activities produce. Please share any thoughts, facts, or questions you have about offsets, and<br />Stay cool,<br />BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-9805172585736864642009-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:002009-11-20T16:40:43.767-08:00Tell Senate to Pass a Strong Climate BillAs you may know, the US House of Representatives passed a climate bill in June, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). We've been nagging our Senators meanwhile to do likewise, and it's time to nag them again. Click <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">here</a> to find your Senator and call, write, or email urging them to pass the strongest climate legislation possible. Until both houses pass a bill and the President signs it, there can be little progress on an international treaty, which is why world leaders delayed expectations this week for a strong new treaty to reduce global warming to come out of the Copenhagen talks. Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer introduced a climate bill on Sept. 30 that we should support. It needs strengthening, as lucidly outlined by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margie-alt/yes-we-can-stop-global-wa_b_322452.html">Margie Alt of the Huffington Post</a> blog site. Alt points out that we could achieve a 26% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 just by investing in energy efficiency, which costs less than we're spending on energy now! We need to do more than this, and there are lots of options other than turning to nuclear energy, which is very expensive and creates waste that's radioactive for tens of thousands of years. Nuclear energy and offshore oil drilling are both being discussed in the Senate. Drilling for oil and burning coal cause global warming, they don't solve it, although sequestering CO2 from fossil fuels is an interim solution. Call or write your Senators now to urge them to pass the strongest climate legislation possible without relying on nuclear or coal. If you're traveling for Thanksgiving, have safe travels and offset your travel with the programs at the very bottom of this page! I'll post again in 2 weeks.<br />Stay cool,<br />BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-42743153621410059782009-11-20T14:23:00.000-08:002009-11-20T15:05:18.082-08:00This Isn't About Climate, But It's UnbelievableI have to take a moment to post this unbelievable bit of info that I found buried in a UNICEF report. They sent me a nice email about buying stuff for the holidays to support their programs (which is a fine idea, along with giving them money) and about tracking progress on child nutrition. I was intrigued by the statement that <a href="http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/unicef-report-200-million.html"><strong style="font-weight: normal;">"80 percent of all chronically undernourished children are found in just 24 countries</strong>."</a> After following a link, I came to <a href="http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/pdfs/Tracking_Progress_on_Child_and_Maternal_Nutrition_EN_110309.pdf">this report</a> on Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition. On page 15, there's a world map that has a red circle on each country. The size of the red circle is proportional to the number of children in that country who are moderately to severely stunted because of hunger (they call it undernutrition now). But look--there's a pretty good-sized red circle on the U.S.! Now go to page 104. There's the top 24 countries in terms of numbers of stunted children. And look! The US is number 42 with not 714 children as I thought at first, but 714,000 children WHO ARE STUNTED BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT. This is 3% of all children under 5 in one of the richest countries in the world who are "below two standard deviations from median height for age of the WHO Child Growth Standards." We are doing only 2 percentage points better than Iran, the same as Ukraine, and worse than Chile and Croatia! TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-79935255809516405552009-11-13T14:11:00.000-08:002009-11-13T14:49:05.852-08:00HopenhagenHere's two cool ideas! Go to the appealing little site called <a href="http://www.hopenhagen.org/">Hopenhagen.org</a> and sign their petition for a climate treaty that is "definitive, equitable, and effective," and will set binding targets to cut greenhouse gases by 2020. The petition will be presented to world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference Dec. 7-18. When you sign, you can write what gives you hope. If you put down your city, your comment will be put on a map. You can click anyplace on the map to see what gives someone from that place hope. Pretty cool!<br /><br />Now that it's finally getting cooler, make sure your water heater is well insulated. That can save you money and save 1,000 pounds of CO2 a year! If your water heater is warm to the touch, it could use more insulation. You can get a pre-cut insulating jacket for your heater for $10-$20 and put it on yourself. If your heater is gas-fired, you need to pay a professional or follow directions carefully. <a href="http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13070">Here's </a>a site with more information.<br /><br />Good luck, and write us!<br />Stay cool,<br />BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-53322771998516449842009-11-06T17:31:00.000-08:002009-11-06T18:08:26.141-08:00We can't be the problem, right? Wrong.One final myth to discuss in this series (I'm always happy to address others at your request): <span style="font-style: italic;">Human CO2 emissions are tiny compared with natural sources, so they can't be important.<br /><br /></span>Fact: While<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>it's true that natural sources give off much more CO2 than humans, plants and the oceans are currently absorbing even more CO2 than they give off. Click <a href="http://www.skepticalscience.com/human-co2-smaller-than-natural-emissions.htm">here</a> for more on this. It's humans' use of fossil fuels that have thrown CO2 levels off balance, since fossil fuels have been buried for hundreds of millions of years and their carbon has been out of circulation. Right now, nature is saving us from more extreme climate change than we're currently experiencing, because the oceans and plants are absorbing excess CO2. However, we're still emitting CO2 faster than natural sources can absorb it, increasing the greenhouse effect and causing climate change.<br /><br />I know there are people reading this blog! (Don't worry, I don't know who you are unless you've told me, and I certainly won't share your personal info.) But all of us reading would love to hear from you--your questions, your thoughts, your ideas about climate change and what we can do about it. Thanks so much for all your support!<br />Stay cool,<br />Bonney <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span>Bonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355264020520611472.post-50750824317093200512009-10-30T16:28:00.000-07:002009-10-30T17:49:18.686-07:00A Great Day, and More Work To DoThanks to all those who participated in the planet's most widespread day of political action ever- with over 5,200 events in 181 countries! There was scant to no mainstream media coverage of Santa Fe's action involving 350 people, but there was a huge amount of coverage worldwide, including front-page stories in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune and top stories on Google News and CNN World online. Thanks to Barbara Wold for coverage on her blog <a href="http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2009/10/500-activists-in-santa-fe-join-global-day-of-climate-action-to-spread-most-important-number-in-the-worl.html">Democracy for New Mexico</a>. Organizers posted photos to <a href="http://www.350.org/">350.org</a> from Papua New Guinea to New Jersey, Botswana to Brooklyn, Antarctica to China. Go see them--they're amazing and inspiring! And if you haven't contacted your Senators to demand the strongest climate legislation they can deliver, click <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">here</a> to do that. See my <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2009/08/dont-let-them-forget.html">Aug. 28 post</a> for more info.<br /><br />Now, back to refuting myths, which I started in my <a href="http://carbonlesscopy.blogspot.com/2009/10/global-warming-myths-and-facts.html">Oct. 16 post</a>. Myth #2: <span style="font-style: italic;"> CO2 is not a major cause of climate change. Ads on TV and sites on the Internet proclaim this myth. </span>But that's just what it is, a myth.<br /><br />Fact: According to the <a href="http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/conclusion.html">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (an international group of climate scientists established by the UN Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization), "Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations." CO2 is the most important greenhouse gas, according to the IPCC and many other sources. If you're worried about the phrase "very likely," realize that the IPCC has a reputation for being conservative, because it can only report what all its many scientist from all over the world agree on.<br /><br />Fact: The US National Academy of Sciences along with 10 other national science academies <a href="http://royalsociety.org/document.asp?latest=1&id=3222">proclaimed in 2005</a> that the evidence for human-caused global warming is strong enough for governments to take rapid action.<br /><br />Fact: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/19/eco.globalwarmingsurvey/index.html">97% of US climate scientists surveyed</a> agree that human activity has been a significant factor in rising average global temperatures.<br />Send us your thoughts and<br />Stay cool,<br />BonneyBonney Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811859275046944216noreply@blogger.com0