The White House's Clean Power Plan

    The White House is releasing the new Clean Power Plan for the USA today. It is a revised version of the plan released last year with changes to the plan that addresses concerns raised by opponents of the plan as well as the Supreme Court ruling from this past June. It is a huge step towards showing the rest of the world that America will lead when the Climate Conference in Paris this December takes place.

   
     Watch the video above to learn more. There are better and cleaner alternatives to coal, oil and natural gas, alternatives that greatly reduce pollution in many of its forms. A clean energy future is possible and vital for the future. Back the President and the White House and push for a Clean Energy Future!

Renewables At It Again

     Germany the other day made 78% of its energy using renewables. Wind turbines were spinning like mad in the North Sea earlier this week, setting a new mark for renewable energy production. Germany is now producing more than 25% of its daily energy with renewables, and that number keeps growing. Say what you want about Wind and Solar...you can't deny that they make enough energy to power an industrialized nation with 80 million people.

     Just imagine what would happen if put more wind and solar in the USA? And I'm not talking about lower profits for the Koch Brothers.

Jeb Bush Steps Out

     Jeb Bush, American Royalty and Republican Presidential Candidate, the other day said he believes that Climate Change will probably be solved by a guy tinkering in his garage. Of course, media outlets are having a field day with this, ridiculing Bush for his statements. I mean, what can a guy in his garage do to combat climate change, invent a freeze-machine like the one Mikkos Cassadine created that threw Port Charles into a sudden winter during the summer of 1981? (General Hospital fans know how close were are to the end.) Or maybe Bubba in Georgia will convert his three wheeler into a salt vaporizer that makes salt disappear when turning sea water into fresh water?

     Instead of focusing on how silly it sounded, I think we should focus on the fact that Jeb admitted Climate Change is real, is happening, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. This is a small victory for those of us who recognize we must take action before it is too late. The fact Bush recognizes global warming and climate change as an issue is a step toward. Instead of just ignoring it or dismissing it, Bush's statements have pushed the door ajar toward working toward real progress on combating something that threatens out way of life and the health of our global society.

     In a field of ostriches--most with their heads stuck in the sand--it's nice to see one potential Republican candidate looking at what's going on in the world around him. Its easy to poke fun of another Bush and say his idea that some guy tinkering in a garage would end the climate crisis, but many breakthroughs throughout history have come from unlike places. Sure, it is unlikely that Cletus in his shed in Mississippi is going to invent a freeze-pistol that can restore the melting glaciers to their pre-Industrial Revolution condition. But who knows? I would like to think that Bush's comments mean he is open to funding research and finding solutions, moving forward instead of falling farther behind. Sure, he may be against government regulations (which is is short-sighted and unfortunate), but the fact that he acknowledges what is happening is reason to have hope. Its a departure from the other ostriches in the "Climate Change isn't real and is a vast conspiracy to get people to buy solar panels" group.

     It should be fun to see if his acknowledgement of Climate Changes the rhetoric of the other candidates if Bush's statements appeal to conservative voters who want action on Climate Change. It could change the course of the 2016 election, considering the majority of Americans believe we must do something before it is to late. Of course, he may just be saying this to get elected. But I will take the small step forward. Anything to help Jethro distill a new carbon-absorbing moonshine that cools the Earth and saves us all.

Friday Meme

Let's all take the time to really understand what we are talking about before waxing poetic about how much we know.

Where Does Your Waste Go?

     One of the main goals for me here is to get people to reduce their ecological footprint. Using less materials that can't be recycled, reducing the amount of single-use items (I'm looking at you plastic bags!) and making compost out of food waste. Without being obnoxious, I try to help my friends think a little bit about their actions and the repercussions that those actions have. Yes, my advice is at times unsolicited, however I do my best not to cram said advice down people's throats. I just try to share what I have learned reducing my amount of waste. Point out that some things are thrown away for no reason. If you're just gonna toss it after using it once, why not skip that step and not even use it to begin with, you know?

     Yesterday, a friend from my German class drove me home. She asked me if it was okay with we stopped at the supermarket so she could pick up a few things. First stop was the produce aisle (supermarkets are pretty much the same in Germany as in America, just smaller). My friend grabbed some bananas off the shelf, pulled off a plastic bag from the roll and threw them in, like so many of us do. How many times to do you that? Grab a bag for something that really doesn't require one?

     I was like, "Whaaaaat? You don't need a plastic bag for bananas. They are already attached together in nature's carrying case. They come pre-wrapped in their own organic wrapper! Do you really need a bag?"
     My friend looked perplexed and said, "But the bags are here for us to use." It seems that she hadn't really considered why she had grabbed one, but just automatically grabbed the plastic bag off the roll because they were there. "It isn't a big deal. So what?" she waved me off and moved on to the spice aisle.
     So I asked her, "Are you going to use that bag again?"
     "Well, no," she answered...and then there it was. The look. The look that many people get when they realize something for the first time. I had interrupted her normal behavior with a question that she could not quite answer.

     My friend kept the bananas in the bag and after checking out, she drove me home. I did not convince her to not take the bag, nor did I try. But, I did get her to think about it. In a week or so, she may very well show up to class and tell me that she bought bananas at the market again, but this time didn't put them in a plastic bag. Which is a small victory. We have been so conditioned to grab things when we shop that we really don't need: plastic bags, individually wrapped meals, all that crap at the check out counter. Many times, we grab that stuff because everyone else does without thinking about what happens to that plastic bag once you get home, remove the bananas and toss the bag away.

     Quite often, when I point these types of things out to people, they stop and think. If I can get someone to re-evaluate those small actions, then it makes a difference. Because the person I get to reconsider their behavior with something as ingrained into every day life like grocery shopping, they will most likely share with others what they now do if they make a change. That helps shift towards a more closed-loop and sustainable way of life. Less waste because we reduce, reuse and recycle. That's how you change the world.

     Here's a video about food waste. Its short and good. Enjoy!

After A Long Pause...Inhofe Starts Us Off

     Hello there loyal readers! I am so sorry for the long layoff. In addition to becoming a new Daddy (mom and baby are doing great!) I also moved into the new house. It was a long wait, but we made it! We are now making energy with our solar array, heating our water with the Sun, and using a Air/Water Earth Pump to assist the heating and cooling of the house! We couldn't be happier with everything. Well, that's not exactly true. Telekom has made us wait for phone, internet and cable. It is scheduled to be hooked up this Monday. I will believe it when I can log in from my new office in the new house. I will not start the Telekom bashing...as much as I may want too.

     The last month has extremely difficult for me not to blog. Although I didn't post everyday before, I usually attempted to write something for this site everyday. I didn't always finish what I wrote and some pieces still sit in the draft box unfinished and unused. Believe it or not, I have written som real duds. However, you have to spill some salt to make a good margarita, am I right? With all the work in the new house (mostly building my own screens for the windows and unpacking) and the additional work that the baby created and having to drive to the In-laws to get online, blogging took a back burner to the rest of the things we were juggling. But, tomorrow I will put my home-office together. Monday the Telekom technician comes to hook us up. Monday evening I will write a new piece to post for Tuesday...I hope. Now that Mercury is out of retrograde, everything should be okay with the world again, right?

     So here is something to wet your whistle. While I was away, there have been a lot of things written and talked about and picked apart about Climate Change. I have been able to read a few, but not many since my cellphone reception at the new house really blows. (Did I mention that I used up a month's worth of data on my cellphone in just one week? Again, another reason I have not been able to blog. Although, I might have used up that date by sending a ga-zillion pictures of my new son. I think it's allowed in that case, right?) Today, while visiting the In-laws, I hopped online for the first time in a week and I read this gem from the Huffington Post.

     Seems our old friend Senator James Inhofe is at it again. You know, Senator Inhofe has said time and time again that God wouldn't let humans destroy the planet. Inhofe believes completely that He would step in and save us. Yet, Inhofe has taken exception with the Pope, Pope Francis, the voice of The Almighty Himself for the Catholic Church. Pope Frank recently said he believes that humans are mainly to blame for the warming planet. Inhofe shot back (while he spoke at a quasi-Climate conference hosted by the Heartland Institute, those giants of scientific inquiry) that the Pope should stick to what he does best. Which made me think: Isn't speaking for God what The Pope does best?

     Inhofe said we should all stick to what we do best, which in the Senator's case is ignoring the glaring warning signs and planet-sized collection of scientific evidence that says Climate Change is real, it is happening and we are the cause. What Inhofe does best, apparently, is slighting anyone who says Climate Change is real, even when that someone happens to be the Pope! But, I guess when you say with conviction that God would step in and stop Climate Change, if it were in fact real and was in fact happening, only to have the head of the Catholic Church say you are wrong, you might get a little irritated. It's never cool to be knocked down a peg, especially by the Pope when you have been trying to convince everyone you know what God is thinking.

     Regardless if you are religious or not, or Catholic or Christian or an Atheist, knowing that the Pope backs the ridiculous amount of supporting scientific evidence that human are causing the very real phenomenon that is Climate Change, it has got to hold some weight, right. I mean, the church has been notoriously slow to get with the times, move forward on scientific discoveries and move forward. The church has also dealt with their fair share of controversy over the years. Seeing them take such a progressive and informed stance on the issue of Climate Change gives people like me hope. Hope that people that go around saying that God will fix everything for us will realize that that's not how it works. That we have to take responsibility for our actions as individuals and as society as a whole. Even the molasses-on-a-cold-day-when-it-comes-to-taking-a-stance-on-a-new-thing Catholic Church has accepted the evidence. What is taking you so long, Senator?

    I am trying to reach people like you and helping you cut through the bullshit out there that is misleading and incorrect about Climate Change. I put solar panels on my house and reduce my household waste. Those are the things I do best. Maybe Senator Inhofe should focus on what he could do better. You know, like listen to the experts that study climate change and the citizens the Senator represents in the Senate and take action to combat human being's effect on the climate. Then Senator Inhofe could catch up with the Catholic Church and be as progressive as they are.

Solar Roads!

     Thanks to  Sven T.  Veital @tveital for posting this photo on Twitter yesterday. http://thkpr.gs/3657220 I like The Netherlands more and more every time I see things like this. It just makes sense. 

     Our friends in Holland seem to get it when it comes to renewables, don't they? When your home is being inundated by rising seas, I guess it raises awareness about global warming and climate change. This solar road is a first generation energy producer and it can power a house for a year. Just imagine how much better this tech will be in a few years when it can be improved upon? Who says solar energy can't power our lives right now? Oh, right, the Fossil Fuel Industry. 

     These solar roads are also easy to install because the main infrastructure is already in place. (What countries don't already have roads?) Soon, streets can be turned into power generators, providing energy for homes and businesses in the immediate vicinity. Winning! 

     Did I mention that the Netherlands is in the Northern latitudes? Think of what solar roads will do for places closer to the equator. Places like the American Southwest, Central America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, India...

     Clean energy is a reality, one that we no longer have to wait for to make a clean energy future. And save the planet at the same time. Winning!