Green Rush Needed: Can Doerr Find Us All A Netscape Moment?

                                            Image: Greentech Media. John Doerr

One of my  favorite Venture Capitalists, John Doerr, is  looking for that  clean tech killer app that startles and then sends the thundering herds of start-ups across the wetland plains of Silicon Valley-that bullish scent, that feverish Valley buzz, the gridlock on highway 101-and  those returns! These signals will be the hallmarks of the coming Green Rush, as it will become known, at least by me, when the clean tech sector really, really arrives in Silicon Valley and in other clean tech clusters in places like San Diego. The race will really be on then, one that creates prosperity again and truly saves civilization and our co-habitating species and oceans. And creates jobs in an American economy that is pushing more and more Americans under.
Greentech Media reports that John is looking for that clean tech "Netscape  moment" that Valley folk remember well as an upstart browser that changed everything in the mid-90's. More after the jump...

American Concern About Global Warming Dips

Source: ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2010) — Public concern about global warming has dropped sharply since the fall of 2008, according to the results of a national survey released January 27 by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities.

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The survey found:

• 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.

In line with these shifting beliefs, there has been an increase in the number of Americans who think global warming will never harm people in the United States or elsewhere or other species.
"Despite growing scientific evidence that global warming will have serious impacts worldwide, public opinion is moving in the opposite direction," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change. "Over the past year the United States has experienced rising unemployment, public frustration with Washington and a divisive health care debate, largely pushing climate change out of the news. Meanwhile, a set of emails stolen from climate scientists and used by critics to allege scientific misconduct may have contributed to an erosion of public trust in climate science."
The survey also found lower public trust in a variety of institutions and leaders, including scientists. For example, Americans' trust in the mainstream news media as a reliable source of information about global warming declined by 11 percentage points, television weather reporters by 10 points and scientists by 8 points. They also distrust leaders on both sides of the political fence. Sixty-five percent distrust Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Palin as sources of information, while 53 percent distrust former Democratic Vice President Al Gore and 49 percent distrust President Barack Obama.

Hot Under The Collar In Copenhagen

Image: Irish Times. Rising Sea Level Tempertures On Balloon

Long simmering disparities between developed and lesser developed countries boiled over during the Copenhagen Climate talks this week. I think this shows real issues are being discussed, and a healthy if frank dialog has begun in Denmark.


Source: PBS.org

Tension between rich and poor countries hovered over climate negotiations in Copenhagen Wednesday, as developing nations fumed over the leak of a climate document drafted by Denmark.  The 13-page document, known as the Danish text, was drawn up outside the United Nations framework but the U.N. leader of the summit, Yvo de Boer, downplayed it Wednesday, describing it as an informal paper that circulated as a "basis for discussion."  The Danish text does not detail emissions pledges, but does indicate setting a timeline by which developing countries would peak their emissions, while positioning developed countries to have substantial power over billions of dollars for developing countries to make climate change adaptations and reduce emissions.  The text was called a "serious violation" by the Sudanese ambassador to the Group of 77 developing countries, Lumumba Stanislaus Dia Ping. He told a news conference Wednesday the document was aimed at "preserving and advancing developed countries' economic dominance and supremacy."  "The Empire has always relentlessly and ruthlessly grabbed natural resources," he said, arguing the proposed agreement

White House Plans Job Creation Forum

Video: SanDiegoEarthWeek.com Green Jobs Speaker Paul Hannam Talks About The Green Jobs Sector. Will Green Jobs Be a Focus of the White House Job Forum?

The White House continues to roll out efforts focused on a middle class economic recovery, and announced a Jobs Forum this week. Welcome aboard the Jobs Events movement, Mr. President!
Many folks have been offering Jobs events, and we appreciate the use of the bully pulpit to heighten awareness of the Jobs movement, in particular, the creation of Green Jobs.

For example, last April, Dawn Parker-Waites of SanDiegoLovesGreen.com and I offered one of the first Green Jobs seminars as a part of our SanDiegoEarthWeek.com events-at an affordable $35 per seat-and we were sold out in days. SDNN did a fabulous video piece on the event at the time, embedded above.

Lately, I have been teaching a class on renewable energy at San Diego State University/College of Extended Studies, and many of the adult learners there are in the job hunt/re-career mode. A flood of Green jobs would be a very welcome development. Green jobs offer meaningful employment over and above the paycheck, and combines passion with a purpose united with prosperity creation.

I hope the White House makes jobs, especially Green ones, a top priority for the next 12 months. Unemployment in this Great Recession crosses all income levels, demographics, gender, age, race, sexual orientation and other slices of the population pie. Certainly the White House also understands that small business creates the vast majority of jobs in the U.S.

7 months after our Green Jobs seminar, there are even more job hunters looking for any employment opportunity. A Green Job Stimulus effort is what is needed to now for them, and all of us, in order to pump up an economy showing some signs of life.

Source: CQPolitics.com

"President Obama will host a jobs forum at the White House next month to address concerns that the economic recovery is not putting enough people back to work. The unemployment rate now stands at 10.2 percent, the highest since 1983. Though the economy grew 3.5 percent in the last quarter, economists say it could take many months to whittle down the jobless rate." Full Story at Headline.

White House Ties Middle Class Recovery to Green Retrofit

Image Credit: brianrhitch.blogspot.com/ 2008/03/going-green.html

Vice President Biden rolled out a report and plan connecting Green building retrofit and middle class job creation. Of particular interest is the migration of an Energy Star® type rating to homes which have undergone energy retrofits. This should enable retrofit products in the housing market to stand out, and fetch a better price that those that are not energy efficient. In theory, this should function as a market transformation tactic. The problem of course, is that all of the above requires the financial means, and confidence, of Americans, many of whom are unemployed. Still, the connectivity between home energy performance retrofit and job creation is a valid one, and an industry that is fundamentally domestic, as a retrofit job can not be exported. This notion should also give a boost to the housing industry, which is still in the deep doldrums.

"Develop Energy Performance Label for Homes

When consumers see the ENERGY STAR® label on a dishwasher or a refrigerator, they know they are

getting an energy efficient product and they can take the savings into account as they decide what to

purchase. New homes can qualify for an ENERGY STAR® label but there is no similar label for

existing homes that have undergone retrofits. The Federal Government will develop a home

performance label for existing homes. The label will be based on the national home energy performance

measure described below, and it will be developed in partnership with industry leaders, realtors, and

efficiency advocates to promote widespread adoption. The end result will be an easily recognizable

benchmark that auditors, retrofitters, lenders, realtors, and consumers can use to compare home energy

performance and identify the most efficient homes.

The new home performance label should be accompanied by a national marketing campaign to increase

consumer awareness and expand the demand for home energy retrofits. This campaign should build on

the marketing that Federal Government already does in conjunction with the ENERGY STAR® label on

products and the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program for whole-home retrofits. The

national marketing campaign will help homeowners find reliable sources of information on how to

improve their homes and quality, skilled contractors to do the work. "

New NASA Research May Show "Runaway" Ice Melt Has Begun

Image Credit: The Antarctic Sun (NSF).
Antarctic "moulin" and melt channel

The most optimistic view about Greenland and Antarctica ice melt is now off the table, and the worst case scenario about accelerating, self-perpetuating ice melt is front and center in climate science, according to science experts, reacting to news about fresh NASA-funded research being published in Nature this week. What does this mean for renewable energy start-ups? Start more companies and faster, would be the logical implication for the sector. This grim piece of science news also argues for serious coastal planning in communities which have not begun the process.

Certainly, all eyes should also turn to enlightened investors and entrepreneurs to field many Green "killer app" innovations, that can accelerate global warming mitigation now. None of this displaces the personal power everyone has to brace for impact and help each other and their communities adapt, adopt renewable energy immediately, get off of carbon based fuels, and embrace personal energy conservation measures.

Existing solutions can not be pushed to the back burner either, and a fast track first step is establishing roof top solar installation on homes and businesses as a top national, state and local priority, regardless of what happens with this sluggish congressional climate bill in the Senate this Fall.

Source: AP

WASHINGTON — New satellite information shows that ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica continue to shrink faster than scientists thought and in some places are already in runaway melt mode.

British scientists for the first time calculated changes in the height of the vulnerable but massive ice sheets and found them especially worse at their edges. That's where warmer water eats away from below. In some parts of Antarctica, ice sheets have been losing 30 feet a year in thickness since 2003, according to a paper published online Thursday in the journal Nature.

Some of those areas are about a mile thick, so they've still got plenty of ice to burn through. But the drop in thickness is speeding up. In parts of Antarctica, the yearly rate of thinning from 2003 to 2007 is 50 percent higher than it was from 1995 to 2003.

These new measurements, based on 50 million laser readings from a NASA satellite, confirm what some of the more pessimistic scientists thought: The melting along the crucial edges of the two major ice sheets is accelerating and is in a self-feeding loop. The more the ice melts, the more water surrounds and eats away at the remaining ice.

"To some extent it's a runaway effect. The question is how far will it run?" said the study's lead author, Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey. "It's more widespread than we previously thought."

The study doesn't answer the crucial question of how much this worsening melt will add to projections of sea level rise from man-made global warming. Some scientists have previously estimated that steady melting of the two ice sheets will add about 3 feet, maybe more, to sea levels by the end of the century. But the ice sheets are so big it would probably take hundreds of years for them to completely disappear.

As scientists watch ice shelves retreat or just plain collapse, some thought the problem could slow or be temporary. The latest measurements eliminate "the most optimistic view," said Penn State University professor Richard Alley, who wasn't part of the study.

The research found that 81 of the 111 Greenland glaciers surveyed are thinning at an accelerating, self-feeding pace...full story at Headline.

UCSD Campus...Real World Lab For Green Energy Innovation

Signonsandiego.com, posted an excellent piece today on the cutting edge sustainability installations and research going on at UCSD. Terrific energy management innovations. Solar and PV are enhanced for maximum efficiency using a "skytracker" which monitors cloud cover. Other innovations abound on campus. The campus itself is one large living Green energy lab for innovation.
I also just received a PDF about Climate Week in San Diego this week, being driven by UC.
(Image Credit: signonsandiego.com).
Source: www.signonsandiego.com

"On a roof overlooking a parking garage at the University of California San Diego, Byron Washom pulls out his laptop and calls up an in-house Web site.

Within moments, he's advising that the photovoltaic panels atop the garage are pumping out 243 kilowatts of electricity, down from their peak of 271 kilowatts.

A graph on his screen shows the ups and downs of the electric production.

“You can see the morning fog,” he says, looking at his computer, not the sky.

While the solar panels on the roof are good, they're not enough, says Washom, the university's director of strategic energy initiatives.

He's part of UCSD's effort to become a national model for finding, testing and implementing new power technologies by having the people who run its facilities working together with the scientists on the cutting edge.

“It's not enough anymore to install solar panels, change lightbulbs or recycle,” said Jan Kleissl, an assistant professor of engineering.

The university “is moving from today's version of sustainability and changing to tomorrow's version,” said Steve Relyea, vice chancellor of business affairs.

UCSD is able to conduct tests because the university is in charge of how it makes and uses its power.

For instance, Kleissl has installed a sky imager — an eye on the sky designed to track clouds and predict their movement — hoping that UCSD's electric system can efficiently adjust for the loss of power when the sun stops hitting solar panels.

And a section of the school is being designated the “East Campus Sustainability Park,” integrating solar panels, fuel cells, battery storage, algae fuel production and efficient cooling of buildings.

“It also, in the end, connects us to academia,” said Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD." More at Headline...

GreenEnergyTalk.org To Launch Soon

My pal John Platt and his team are launching Green Energy Talk.org, the new "go to" discussion board on the web. Official launch is October 1.

I really like the comprehensive portal approach to topics. Everything Green Energy under the Sun is on this board. I hear a major PR firm has signed on to moderate some of the topics. Stay tuned!

Polls Show Deep Support for Obama's Climate Push

I have been watching the major media 'set the table' for a healthcare-like fist fight over climate, when Congress reconvenes (great ratings no doubt). I find it frustrating that all of the warm-up pieces I have seen do not mention an inconvenient poll that shows intense support for climate legislation. Support that runs 2 to 1! So it is not over until the Senator from California sings, and knowing Senator Boxer, she is not one to lay down and give up when the going is tough, and even in a re-election year for her. Perhaps the oft told Beltway story of the death of HR 2454 in the Senate is premature. I hope so, as only civilization, species, our water supply, beautiful Planet Earth and the rebirth of a clean global economy depends on legislative progress.

Source: Center For American Progress

With all the brouhaha about health care reform, it’s easy to forget the other big domestic policy priority before Congress: energy policy and climate change. Here the Obama administration’s approach continues to receive solid public support. According to just-released data from ABC News/Washington Post, support is running about a 2-1 ratio for the proposed changes to U.S. energy policy (57 percent to 29 percent).

Obama Teams With Grassroots To "Green The Block"

A community approach, dedicated to spreading Green, house to house, neighborhood to neighborhood, is being discussed in San Diego community meetings, organizations, and leadership circles.

Last night at a San Diego network event our organizations hosted with Lt. Governor Garamendi, several folks, including a local lender, and an elected official, mentioned to me that they think government will not get sustainability done, and it will indeed be up to the grassroots. That is how global change happens, as we have experienced in civil rights movements. I propose we need to engage every community based organization-neighborhood associations, homeowner associations, renters groups, the PTA, small business,entertainment groups,sports associations, youth groups, senior groups and so on in creating Green Action Plans in every town and city across the nation. And we need to make Green associated with Fun! People will do something that they enjoy.

Today Grist reports that the Obama Administration is teaming to kick start Green in a new, similar neighborhood effort.

Source: Grist
Ensuring that low-income communities and minority youth benefit from green jobs programs is the goal of a new partnership between the White House and two grassroots organizations—Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All.

Two Cabinet members and leaders of the grassroots groups unveiled the Green the Block initiative Tuesday at a White House press conference, describing the partnership as as both a campaign and a coalition that is designed to build political support for greening efforts in low-income and minority communities..

“The 20th century was defined by civil rights and The 21st century will be defined by clean energy,” said Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus. “Future generations will measure us by our success in transitioning from a fossil fuel economy to a clean energy economy, and in the process building opportunity and prosperity for our most economically disenfranchised communities.” More at headline...

Lt. Governor Garamendi Speaks on Sustainability in San Diego

Dear MTH Friends,

Please attend our FREE VIP San Diego Sustainability EVENT. Please join Lt. Governor John Garamendi and our network at the fabulous UC Scripps Seaside Forum tomorrow in La Jolla Shores. See you there! Details on the poster above. Start Time is 4:45PM. I hear Chancellor Fox is joining us.
I am so pleased we are able to offer this event to the vibrant, emerging and succeeding Green community in San Diego.

Thanks!
Kathleen Connell
Vice Chair, Sustainability Alliance of Southern California
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Chief Sustainability Officer
LMI San Diego
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Advisory Board, Heartland Foundation

"Stand And Deliver" Says GLOBE To G-8 On Climate

Image Credit:dreamstime.com


GLOBE International is composed of eminent scientists and legislators with a global view on climate change, and they have clout with heads of state, current, former and aspiring. President Obama, Senator McCain, Tony Blair and many other luminaries have endorsed GLOBE, spoken to them and generally take GLOBE fairly seriously.
Their mission:

• GLOBE is the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment founded in 1989.

• GLOBE facilitates high level negotiated policy positions from leading legislators from across the G8+5 parliaments and from regional dialogues which are informed by business leaders and key international experts.

• GLOBE's objective is to support ambitious political leadership on issues of climate and energy security, land-use change and ecosystems and economic and population growth. Internationally, GLOBE is focused on progressive leadership from G8 leaders and the leaders of the major emerging economies as well as formal negotiations within the United Nations. GLOBE has a particular interest in the role that International Financial Institutions can play.

• GLOBE shadows the formal G8 negotiations and allows legislators to work together outside the formal international negotiations. Without the burden of formal governmental negotiating positions, legislators have the freedom to push the boundaries of what can be politically achieved.

• At an international level GLOBE consists of senior cross-party members of parliament from all G8 countries and the +5 countries of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. Also, GLOBE facilitates regional policy dialogues amongst legislators within the Americas Region (North & South America), Europe (West & Eastern Europe), Asia and Africa.

• Importantly, GLOBE’s discussions can be translated into policies and practical solutions through legislation both at the national, regional and international level. Legislators also have a critical role to play in holding their own governments to account for the commitments that are made during international negotiations.

As global warming is, well, global, it makes sense that global solutions and perspectives are pressed into service. Right? After all, good science dialog is now global, which is why we know we even have a global warming problem in the first place.

GLOBE thinks internationally as well, and is not given to mincing the climate problem or solutions. The group sent out a volley today to press the powerful G-8 rich countries on climate, as they are meeting soon. Perhaps the G-8 can begin to agree on things that matter with Obama at the table.

This action by a shadow government group is good news after a difficult week watching a real government water down key points in the H.R. 2454 Waxman Markey climate bill in the U.S. On the optimistic side, there is a slew of confusing legislation on climate change issuing from both sides of the U.S. Congress, as Grist faithfully reports. Confusing and multiple bills on climate change is a better place to be in that repression of climate science, as was the case in the last Administration. Do we need a new U.S. GLOBE with an international perspective to help sort all of this out and shadow our own government? I think we do.

Source: eenews.net/climate wire

"Scientists and lawmakers from around the globe have seized upon a meeting in Italy next month between President Obama and the leaders of seven other industrialized nations as a possible turning point for global climate change treaty talks.

Today, a group of 100 environmentally active legislators called on the Group of Eight industrialized nations, or G-8, to "stand and deliver on climate change" when they get to Italy. Meanwhile, the world science academies urged industrialized nations to guide the world toward a future with fewer fossil fuels and said G-8 action should spur the change.

Mike Clegg, foreign secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, said the G-8 is an important forum for the climate community to make their voices heard.

"These are, of course, the leading global economies, and they're the ones adding the most carbon dioxide to the atmosphere," Clegg said in a telephone interview with E&E. "They're actually the key players."

The international group of lawmakers organized by the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment, or GLOBE, leans hard on developed countries. It demands that the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and the European Union both set an aggregate midterm emissions target and create a $2 billion fund to help poor nations cope with climate change impacts..."
Read entire story at Headline.

Global Clean Energy Investments Up

Image Credit:hoggannewmedia.com


June 11, 2009

In January I helped conduct a solar overview seminar at a major renewables conference in Las Vegas. Leaders of the major solar, wind and other clean tech sector associations there forecast a return to financing and deal flow in the 3rd Quarter of this year. Those predictions appear to be coming to pass. This means GhG reduction (one hopes), green job creation, and innovation are on the rise.
Other green sector buzz that has been swirling around the sector is now backed up by the report, below, released by New Energy Finance.
If ever there was a time to get fully prepared to participate in the Green Revolution 2.0, the time is now. I am hearing from California Solar experts that new companies have entered the solar space and are hiring both technical and non-technical staff as they ramp up towards installation and retrofit deals and projects.

Source: EERE Department of Energy (DOE)

After a difficult first quarter, new worldwide investments in clean energy are now gaining momentum, according to analysts at New Energy Finance. Clean energy investments in the first quarter of 2009 were down 44% from the fourth quarter of 2008 and down 53% from the investment peak in the first quarter of 2008, according to the market research firm. But even though there are several weeks left in the second quarter, clean energy investments are already surpassing the first-quarter investments by more than a third. New Energy Finance notes that public market investments have rallied sharply, while bankers active in the clean energy sector are optimistic about a gradual improvement in the availability of project financing as the year progresses. The gradual injection of worldwide "green stimulus" funds, including funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, are also expected to assist the recovery... Read more at headline.

Green Cash Glut To Hit U.S. Cities- Can They Spend It?

What is San Diego's share of the Green Block Grant Funds? What are the plans to utilize these much needed funds? The Feds have set a June 25th deadline for Block Grant proposals, and that is very close. As the second largest city in the state, we should be awash in Green Block Grant funds-far more than the paltry $12M widely discussed in the local media of late.

Source: NYT.com

"The looming release of $3.2 billion in new climate-related block grants stands to spark an energy-saving revolution in tiny towns like Wahpeton, N.D. And it promises to thrust emission-belching metropolises into a cleaner trajectory. But the sudden flow of federal funding is raising questions about whether many of these communities are really ready for it.

Some 1,000 cities and counties have direct access to the new entitlement account, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. They have until June 25 to submit plans, but that's a challenge, because most haven't received federal grants for energy projects before.

Many communities are having trouble retaining enough police officers, let alone hiring sustainability professionals who understand how to establish energy efficiency programs that will evolve into long-term savings in power and money, experts say." See full story at headline.

Van Jones: With Liberty, Justice and Green Jobs For All

When the green job hunt seems like a lost cause, it is good to dig into the well of wisdom of leaders like Van Jones. Read on.

Source: Bright Green Talent Group on LinkedIn


"Van Jones has been a tireless advocate for putting green jobs and green issues at the forefront of our economic and social discussions. What makes this man great is that he is a cultural mediator: his work is translating the theoretical in the practical, making green ideas accessible to those who can put them into action, and providing a working man’s guide to the green revolution.

As he puts it, he’d like to facilitate the discussion between the Ph.Ds and the Ph.Do’s — the farmers, laborers, and builders, to create a populist green movement. He describes the current niche-status of the green economy in a way that displays both his affinity for the working man and his attitude towards the status quo.

VJ: Well, I did have a eureka moment. I’ve been working in urban communities for a long time, working with kids in trouble trying to reform, police departments and juvenile justice systems, and I just burned out and started going from Oakland to Marin County, where there’s a lot of meditation centers, and just discovered a whole new world.,You know, a lot of stuff over there they don’t have in Oakland, like salads and, you know, stuff like that. Tofu and hybrid cars, and I said, “Jeez, all this beautiful green stuff, services, products, new industries that are rising, the solar industry. You know, we should have that, some of that stuff in urban America — people who are disadvantaged, poor people in rural America, Appalachia. How do we get this green economy to be expanded to include more people, get it strong enough so it can lift people out of poverty and create jobs for people?” And it was in that inquiry that I wound up writing this book.

Although using a different rhetoric than Obama (President Obama would probably not talk about urban youths needing more salad as high priority), the message is the same: economic opportunity for more people, not just those who can afford it. Jones points to the fact that the green economy has too long been a niche market populated by affluent Prius-drivers or hemp & dreads-sporting vegan counter-cultural renegades. He seeks to extend the green movement to people beyond those with surplus cultural and economic capital. He is hoping that more people can participate, not only in green buying but green building. He sees green as a moral imperative that must not be devoted not only to products but average joe services and job opportunities."

Historic Climate and Energy Bill Brings Out The Green Troops

Green policy wonks are transfixed by the goings on in Washington DC today, as HR 2454 moves through the political chop that makes up the roiling waters on any given day in the United States House of Representatives. Leading the legislative management rowing crew of the process in the House are Reps. Waxman and Markey. They are not alone as many hands are on the oars in multi-sector push to speed the bill out of committee and towards resolution by Memorial Day. The official blast from Markey's office reports that: "Waxman, Markey Introduce “H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act Energy & Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Energy & Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward J. Markey introduced “H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act.” The Energy and Commerce Committee will begin markup of the bill on Monday, May 18, 2009, at 1:00 p.m., and will complete consideration before the Memorial Day recess. “This bill marks the dawn of the clean energy age,” said Subcommittee Chairman Markey. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revive our economy and create millions of good-paying clean energy jobs. After months of hearings and discussions with my colleagues, I am pleased that we have produced a bill that has widespread support from all regions of the country.”

Supporters of the bill, which is still undergoing revision, include an unlikely alliance of environmental, labor and corporate entities. At the same time, as details of the bill were made public, critics and supporters are lining up on both sides of the bill, either for or against various provisions. Supporters include The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Environmental Defense Fund and other organizations. Greenpeace and other green groups have come out against the compromise bill, posting a gallery of thumbnail images of supposed conservative Democrats who are "working with industry" to weaken the bill. The opposition also centers around the claim that greenhouse gas emissions do not line up with the science of global warming and are too low. The Union of Concerned Scientists pointed out the silver lining in the bill, as a spokesperson notes to GreenInc., a New York Times blog :
"... Alden Meyer, the strategy and policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who is attending a United Nations climate-change meeting in Bonn this week, said in a statement, that the proposed legislation would help to position the United States ahead for international climate negotiations.

As opposed to the experience in Kyoto in 1997, other countries now are seeing real support in the Congress for binding limits on heat-trapping emissions. This improves the prospects for a new global agreement at the Copenhagen summit this December. The draft would also set aside money to help developing countries protect their forests. Such financing can deliver significant emissions reductions and foster the kind of international cooperation we need to adopt and implement an effective climate treaty."

Al Gore sent encouraging words, and plans to send his "We Can Solve It" campaign into action to organize support for the HR 2454. The We website claims to have over 2 million supporters.

Energy and Environment News (subscription at headline) also reports that:

"Several key House Democrats endorsed a major energy and global warming proposal pending this week before the Energy and Commerce Committee, putting the panel's leaders on the brink of the majority needed to pass the measure.

During opening statements at today's markup, Reps. John Dingell of Michigan, Gene Green of Texas, Bobby Rush of Illinois, Bart Gordon of Tennessee and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina all signaled they planned to vote for the bill from Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

"This is a good bill, and I intend to support it," said Dingell, the former committee chairman ousted in November by Waxman."

Nobel Prize Winners are entering the policy waters and Nobelist Paul Krugman is in up to his chest. In his NYT column he puts his marker down with Al Gore. Krugman states:

"I’m with Mr. Gore. The legislation now on the table isn’t the bill we’d ideally want, but it’s the bill we can get — and it’s vastly better than no bill at all."

Video: Speakers at America's Finest Green City Leadership Forum of April 22nd, Earth Day

Earth Day is but a memory, but the wisdom of speakers at SanDiegoEarthWeek.com's event, America's Finest Green City Leadership Forum, lives on thanks to video shot by Solindsd.com. As a Co-Producer of the event, thanks again to all the leaders from the offices of city, state and federal elected officials, Waste Management Inc., The San Diego Foundation, CleanTECH.org, CCSE, City Councilmember Donna Frye, The San Diego Regional Partnership, MC Bill Powers and my partner in green, Dawn Parker-Waites of SanDiegoLovesGreen.com. We had a great event, the attendees were fabulous, and I enjoyed having fun handling the Q&A!


Source: Solindsd.com

"Solind attends Americas Finest Green City Leadership Forum in San Diego

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We have footage from the following keynote speakers:

Donna Frye, Deanna Spehn, Jason Rose, Craig Lewis, Holly LaPree, Elaine Rosenberger, Andrew McAllister, Ricardo Flores, Dr.Emily Young, Caridad Sanchez, Jacque Sharafee."

Energy Civil Rights: The Case For Solar Net Metering

Image Credit: http://4.bp.blogspot.com


AB 560 seeks to raise the net-metering cap in California, allowing owners of solar systems to be compensated for feeding power back into the grid. This creates a more democratic access to the benefits of energy production for all producers, large and small, according to those who argue for the connection between civil rights and energy. An interesting nexus with both political and policy implications. As with much jargon in the renewable energy sector, the term net metering is not easily understood at first glance. Energy Democracy might be a better catch phrase, but certainly "energy civil rights" puts the issue in a context that most folks think they understand or can grasp.


Source: RenewableEnergyWorld.com

The California State Legislature has just begun consideration of a little-noticed piece of legislation that figures prominently in the future of solar power in America. California's current net-metering legislation limits the total amount of rooftop solar power that can be connected to the electric grid to no more than 2.5% of the state's total electric load. AB 560, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), seeks to raise this net- metering cap and unshackle the solar industry from an arbitrary cap.

Thanks to the $3 billion California Solar Initiative and net metering, the Golden State's solar industry has installed more solar power in the last two years than the previous 25 years combined. Because of these policies, California today represents 60% of the solar market in the United States. But with 50,000 solar energy systems now providing clean power in the state, California is expected to hit the 2.5% cap as soon as next year, which could undermine this burgeoning market.

Net metering should be understood as the civil rights legislation for customer-owned solar energy, ensuring that clean power generated by customers is treated equally to conventional electricity from the grid. First created in California in 1995 and now in place in 44 states, net metering allows homeowners and business owners who install solar panels or other clean energy systems to feed any surplus electricity back to the grid for the benefit of other customers. In return, the solar owners receive a credit on their electricity bill at a rate equal to what the utility charges.

SDNN: SanDiegoEarthWeek.com News and Interviews

SDNN is running excellent coverage of the new offerings for SanDiegoEarthWeek.com, as well as a salute to the venerable EarthFair in Balboa Park on Sunday April 19. I really love SDNN's Web 2.0 savvy format, and the integration of You Tube in serving up some headlines on their news site.

In the Earth Week story, Paul Hannam, former Oxford founder of Bright Green Talent, makes a very important point about the number of "green jobs" which will come into being as a result of global warming mitigation. SanDiegoEarthWeek.com offers up a recession price of $35 for a Jobs and Career Event on Tuesday, April 21st, and on Earth Day, April 22nd, a Leadership Forum with leaders from many San Diego sectors, including Mayor Jerry Sanders and Councilmember Donna Frye. Registration for the forum is $25. Register here.

The green jobs wave should exceed just manufacturing-based renewable energy jobs, but will also push forward a tsunami of job creation, as an outcome of a revolution in all aspects of green consumption, economics and communications. Hannam projects that the number of jobs will exceed the internet-related job revolution of the last decades and will be the largest new job engine in human history. I think his assessment is on target, as energy is a driver for all human collective activity. A shift in the energy base from carbon to clean energy can only ripple upward into all of society. See the You Tube interview below to hear more about Paul's projections for the green jobs revolution.

Source: Rebecca Tolin, SDNN
Friday, April 17, 2009


"The eco-explosion needs more than just one day, it seems. You’ve probably heard the San Diego Earth Day celebration is this Sunday. And now there’s San Diego Earth Week, which will extend green-centric events for another few days.... or hear from government leaders at a forum with Mayor Jerry Sanders(Donna Frye and many more-MTH Editor).... And, if you’re interested in a “green” lining to the bleeding-red job market, we may have one. Environment Editor Rebecca Tolin interviews green entrepreneur Paul Hannam who will be speaking at the upcoming Green Jobs and Career Workshop (on April 21st-MTH Editor). He said there are eco-jobs to be had and many more on the way..."More at headline.
Register: www.sandiegoearthweek.com

San Diego Earth Week Leaders Forum: Mayor Jerry Sanders, Councilmember Donna Frye, Elected Offices Speak

Media Contact Information:

www.SanDiegoEarthWeek.com
Dawn Parker-Waites (619)634-2720
Kathleen Connell
(858) 361-3297
connell.kathleen@gmail.com


San Diego, CA, April 15, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Contested terrain has long been a feature of the landscape in sustainability policy choice at the city, state and federal levels. www.SanDiegoEarthWeek.com public event organizers are bringing diverse “Green” Leaders together for International Earth Day on April 22nd, as a large gesture towards more regional unity on the issues.

“Climate change is accelerating according to the best science on hand, and the planet is not really interested in our squabbles with one another other. The time has come to join forces and have civil conversations in order to find the way to protect the San Diego we love. Mother Nature is on her own determined time schedule. As a hurricane survivor I can vouch for that.” Said Kathleen Connell, a science policy expert who has worked with NASA and other policy organizations. Connell is a Co-Producer of www.SanDiegoEarthWeek.com events, and experienced Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005 while living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dawn Parker-Waites, businesswoman, is founder of sandiegolovesgreen.com and an Earth Week Co- Producer, and a busy mother of a teen daughter and two young boys. She juggles a hectic family life with her profound commitment to the environment. “We produced www.sandiegoearthweek.com events and the Leadership Forum out of a sense of urgency about the need for bright green consensus creation. We are so appreciative of the outstanding leaders who have stepped up to address the community on Earth Day, that we want to acknowledge their work and look to the future together. I hope this is the beginning of a new era of green collaboration in San Diego, and that all who care about the future of their children and community attends to learn, dialog and network with others.” she said.

Speakers at the America’s Finest Green City Leadership Forum include:
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. Among America’s Mayors, San Diego’s Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders is a leader in creating economic prosperity & environmental sustainability. In April of 2007, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced the formation of a new Cleantech (Clean Technology) Initiative in an effort to promote the expansion, attraction and retention of businesses that develop products and technologies that provide environmentally sustainable solutions. Clean technologies enable a more valuable use of natural resources and reduce ecological impacts to the region. Mayor Sanders also launched an innovative solar program, which is designed to make the conversion to solar energy affordable to homeowners by financing the cost of installation and spreading it out over 20 years of property tax bills.

Council Member Donna Frye, Democrat, represents the District 6 San Diego City Council, and is the Chair of the Council’s Natural Resources and Culture Committee as well as the San Diego River Conservancy. The council member exerts considerable local influence on the issue she once rode to prominence as a community activist: protecting the environment. She remains passionate and vigilant about clean water and air and other sustainability issues, and leads a growing “green” grassroots of San Diego on these issues.

Many speakers and senior staff representing elected officials and other organizations are confirmed and promise for a dynamic afternoon. Offices and organizations making remarks include representatives Ms. Caridad Sanchez District Director, Office of Senator Barbara Boxer; Mr. Ricardo Flores, Community Representative, Office of Congressmember Susan Davis; Ms. Deanna Spehn, Policy Director, Office of State Senator Christine Kehoe; Dr. Emily Young, San Diego Foundation; Ms. Lisa Bicker, CEO, CleanTECH San Diego and other surprise guests.

SanDiegoEarthWeek.com is also presenting two others events for an enlivened Earth Week:

A Green Jobs and Career Workshop. A timely and affordable event for those looking for information on Green jobs, business and training opportunities in the San Diego Region; $35 Registration

A capstone celebration of Mother Earth, dubbed the Earth Bash, a floating fun time on San Diego Bay aboard Hornblower's eco-friendly luxury yacht, Inspiration, complete with a stellar line up of live entertainers, dancing, nature appreciation, and much more.
Registration: www.SanDiegoEarthWeek.com
A percent of net proceeds will be donated to Surfrider San Diego, San Diego Coastkeeper, and Stayclassy.org


Sponsors for the Leadership Forum include a diverse set of visionary organizations including Waste Management Inc., Cricket Communications, Hornblower Cruises, KPRI 102.1FM and the Host Hotel, The Hotel Solamar.

America’s Finest Green City Leadership Forum Details:
Where: Hotel Solamar
Solstice Ballroom
435 6th Ave (At J Street)
San Diego, CA
When: International Earth Day
Wednesday April 22
Time: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Tickets: $55. Registration: www.sandiegoearthweek.com
Dr. Mark Hanson of The Heartland Foundation and United Green, a co-host for the event notes: “We are at the crossroads of the most significant crisis of modern times. Two profound, life-changing events - the rapid depletion of fossil fuels and rising sea level from the warming of the earth's atmosphere - are converging to dramatically alter our future.”

###

House Climate Leaders Introduce Mega Green Legislation

Long promised climate-related legislation was introduced today. More when I have a moment to catch up on this.

Markey and Waxman Introduce the AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY and SECURITY ACT Discussion Draft

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) discussion draft is a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill that will create millions of new jobs, save American consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, enhance America’s energy independence, national security and global competitiveness, and avert the climate crisis.

“This legislation will create clean energy jobs that can’t be shipped overseas, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and make America the global leader in energy technology. We will create jobs by the millions, save money by the billions, and unleash energy investment by the trillions,” said Chairman Markey, who held several hearings on the major issues in the bill.

To meet these goals, the legislation has four titles:

· Creating Clean Energy Jobs: A clean energy title that promotes renewable sources of energy, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, low-carbon fuels, clean electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission;

· Cutting Waste, Saving Money: An energy efficiency title that increases energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy, including buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry;

· Cap Global Warming Pollution: A global warming title that places limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants; and

· Protecting Consumers: A transitioning title that protects U.S. consumers and industry and promotes green jobs during the transition to a clean energy economy.

National Nightmare of Science Repression Over

As I dedicated a good share of the last 5 years fighting to stop science elimination and suppression at NASA, this new day is most welcome to me personally. Scientific integrity is most important for humanity, for science remains the bedrock upon which our advancements, and good choices for climate and society, can occur. Thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists, we had a credible voice about the systemic intimidation of science during the bad old days of the Bush Administration. Now President Obama is following their recommendations to protect science. I say: Never Again. Never Forget.

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

Obama Administration Follows UCS Recommendations to Protect Scientific Integrity

Statement by Francesca Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists

Additional Download(s): President Obama Memorandum on Scientific Integrity

WASHINGTON (March 9, 2009)—Today President Obama issued a memorandum that follows Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recommendations to prevent the abuse, manipulation and suppression of federal science.

The following is a statement by Dr. Francesca Grifo, director of the UCS's Scientific Integrity Program:

"Just a few years ago, almost 15,000 scientists across the country signed a UCS-sponsored statement denouncing the politicization of federal science, and today's memorandum is proof that the Obama administration heard their cry. Federal policy decisions that affect public health and the environment must be based on robust scientific analysis free of political interference and manipulation.

"UCS surveys at nine agencies have documented that, over the past eight years, federal scientists have been working in a climate of fear and intimidation. For example, 60 percent of the EPA scientists who filled out a 2007 survey said they personally experienced at least one instance of political interference in their work over the previous five years.

"We've reached an important milestone in restoring scientific integrity to federal decision making, but a lot of work remains to be done to ensure interference does not occur in the future. I'm hoping the administration works with Congress to adopt new laws, such as whistleblower protections, that will ensure future administrations cannot commit the kinds of abuses we've seen over the last eight years."

Obama Features Clean Energy at Denver Stimulus Signing

Source: E&E News.net (paid source).

"Because we know we can't power America's future on energy that's controlled by foreign dictators, we are taking a big step down the road to energy independence and laying the groundwork for a new, green energy economy that can create countless well-paying jobs," Obama said.

Obama was introduced at the event by Blake Jones, CEO of the Colorado-based company Namaste Solar, which specializes in solar-panel installation. Jones praised the installation as allowing his company and others to "begin hiring again."

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) described Colorado as at the forefront of developing a new energy economy and said the bill is a major step forward in that regard.

All told, the stimulus contains about $43 billion for direct energy and efficiency programs, along with energy-related tax provisions that total more than $20 billion. Much of those direct investments will go toward programs such as building weatherization, energy efficiency and conservation grants, and renewable energy and electricity transmission loan guarantees.

Beyond providing incentives for alternative energy development, Obama said the legislation would also help spur construction of an electricity grid that will be more capable of moving that energy across the country.

"The electricity we use is carried along a grid of lines and wires that dates back to Thomas Edison -- a grid that can't support the demands of clean energy," Obama said. "This means we're using 19th- and 20th-century technologies to battle 21st-century problems like climate change and energy security."

The bill contains $11 billion for smart-grid technology, including $4.5 billion for a federal matching grant program to invest in smart-technology projects.

Alternative-energy advocates also quickly moved to praise the legislation today, saying that it will help create thousands of jobs in the renewable energy sector and also serve as the first step in addressing items such as climate change...MORE at Headline.

Organizational Change, Revolutionary Sustainability: Peter Senge

Image Credit: Business Week. Dr. Peter Senge


Dr. Peter Senge, of MIT, is widely regarding in organization and business studies as one of the field's finest thinkers. I view Senge as one of the most original business minds. He and his collaborators sat down with Business Week to discuss his book on sustainability, The Necessary Revolution. As usual, Peter provides a lucid and vast array of connected ideas that lead to new approaches. I particularly appreciate Senge as he understands corporate culture and priorities, and speaks to business from inside the community, but with unique ideas that generally are not found in some (most?) companies. He is very adept at holding a mirror up, and showing the deep side of excellence and innovation in the top companies that are extremely successful. An excerpt from the interview:

In The Necessary Revolution, you profile people, working independently or within companies or organizations, who are trying to bring about a more sustainable world. As you learned their stories, what patterns emerged?

The first is obvious: People have to be passionate. These are innovators in a fundamental sense, and innovators innovate because there is something that they are passionate about. Second, they all in different ways were able to step back and see a bigger picture. This is a huge challenge for people in companies, because so many companies are dominated by short-term perspective and because lots of people in key positions simply aren't very good or don't care very much about the bigger picture. Watch how the decisions are made. Are they thinking of the value of the company 10 years after they retire, or are they thinking about the value of their stock options this year?

The other two things we focused on are the ability to connect with lots of people and collaborate across boundaries—you could call it high levels of relational intelligence. The final element that we saw again and again is a shift [in strategy] away from "we've got to stop doing x, y, or z" and all the negativism that tends to pervade these issues.

Can you give some specific examples?

Nike is a great example of these last two qualities. The company's [eco-friendly Considered system] came into being because of two women who were consummate networkers and who realized that "we're never going to change this culture by convincing people that toxins are bad and that we should be less bad. What's going to make people really passionate is the idea that we can do something that no one has done before and that it will be a great thing for athletes." So they started talking to designers and getting them excited about different kinds of shoes. They created the Organic Exchange for cotton because there wasn't enough on the market. They wanted to design running singlets that were compostable. Within five years they had a network of their best designers really passionate about these design challenges. These are all tough, tough problems; the only way to solve them is to get people excited.(MORE at top...)

Dr. Mel Averner: NASA Visionary and Friend Evolves

Image: Dr. Mel Averner NASAwatch.com

Mel Averner passed away last night, wrapped in the love and respect of his many friends and NASA colleagues.
In the last 2.5 planetary rotations of Mel's life, we talked often and worked together on global warming mitigation strategies. In conversations with him I always came away impressed anew with the clarity of thought that came from his excellent mind and loving heart. He was a scientist who observed and appreciated things as they are, but also a change agent who saw things as they could be. Mel wanted a worthy mission for NASA and he never stopped working to that end. Most importantly to me, Mel gave me the gift of his precious friendship and collaboration. His recent works will soon be published.

Global Warming: Gore's Senate PPT On The Crisis

Source: Stardreams, YouTube

This week, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Al Gore offered a disturbing, science-based, update on ice retreat and melt, and the subsequent impacts on humanity. As he points out, it is not the planet that is at risk from global warming, it is our human civilization. In my view, catastrophic events like Katrina, Ike and major fires are indeed becoming a new norm. This would indicate that we, as a species, are not adapting quickly enough to the impact we are having on our environment. Fortunately, we are cognitive social beings in a wired world, and so I believe we have the fundamental software, both within us and as a result of our technological community building, to adapt. If we act in concert soon.

Job Loss High, Obama Calls For Bold Action

News bits, as the Administration pounds the drum for the stimulus and job creation.

Source: Apollo Alliance email blast and whitehouse.gov

Local Green: California’s unemployment rate hit 9.3 percent in December - a 15 year high.

President Barack Obama said that the first step in boosting the economy is to “take bold action to create a new American energy economy that creates millions of jobs for our people.”

A piece at The Huffington Post argues that the Obama administration faces a major challenge with the growth of economic inequality.

Economy Down, Public Down On Global Warming Concerns

Source: NYT

A new poll suggests that Americans, preoccupied with the economy,
are less worried about rising global temperatures than they were a year
ago but remain concerned with solving the nation’s energy problem.

Graphic

The findings are somewhat at odds with President Obama, who has put a high priority on staving off global warming and vowed Tuesday in his Inaugural Address to “roll back the specter of a warming planet.”

In the poll, released Thursday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center,
global warming came in last among 20 voter concerns; it trailed issues
like addressing moral decline and decreasing the influence of
lobbyists. Only 30 percent of the voters deemed global warming to be “a
top priority,” compared with 35 percent in 2008.

Jim Hansen: Obama Has "4 Years To Save Earth"

Image: Dr. James Hansen, NASA


Hansen argues urgently for a carbon tax, not cap and trade, which he views as greenwashing in the policy domain.

Sources: www.guardian.co.uk and The Observor

Hansen - head of the Goddard Institute of Space Studies and winner of the WWF's top conservation award - first warned Earth was in danger from climate change in 1988 and has been the victim of several unsuccessful attempts by the White House administration of George Bush to silence his views. Hansen's institute monitors temperature fluctuations at thousands of sites round the world, data that has led him to conclude that most estimates of sea level rises triggered by rising atmospheric temperatures are too low and too conservative. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says a rise of between 20cm and 60cm can be expected by the end of the century.

However, Hansen said feedbacks in the climate system are already accelerating ice melt and are threatening to lead to the collapse of ice sheets. Sea-level rises will therefore be far greater - a claim backed last week by a group of British, Danish and Finnish scientists who said studies of past variations in climate indicate that a far more likely figure for sea-level rise will be about 1.4 metres, enough to cause devastating flooding of many of the world's major cities and of low-lying areas of Holland, Bangladesh and other nations. (Bold-MTH Editor). As a result of his fears about sea-level rise, Hansen said he had pressed both Britain's Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences to carry out an urgent investigation of the state of the planet's ice-caps. However, nothing had come of his proposals. The first task of Obama's new climate office should therefore be to order such a probe "as a matter of urgency", Hansen added.

MLK Legacy: Inauguration of An Organizer and Environmental Justice

Image Credit: Ernest Withers: Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike 1968


Martin Luther's King's last march was in support of garbage workers who were protesting terrible working conditions and unmitigated racism in Memphis. On the eve of Barack Obama's swearing in, and in light of his commitment to lead on the issue of environmental preservation and global warming, it seems that the redemption of the promise of justice is taking place on every level. From ending dehumanization of any person-which led to the garbage workers signs declaring "I Am A Man" above-to abolishing degradation of the environment, there is a lot of work to do. I believe Obama's deep strategy is to create a nation of justice organizers, a globe of organizers. It is the organizer's dream. We will soon see if this can be accomplished from the White House.

Source: Daily Kos.com

As we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and consider the effects Dr. King's work have had on the United States, I want to highlight an often overlooked aspect of that work, how Martin Luther King and the civil rights struggle have influenced American notions of environmental health and justice.

One of the many corrosive effects of racial segregation in the United States is the unequal exposure to wastes and hazardous substances faced by people of color in both urban and rual areas across the nation. Consciousness of environmental racism grew in the 1980s, after a variety of incidents (including the siting of hazardous waste sites in Houston and the 1982 protests of a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dump in Warren County, North Carolina that marked the first time Americans had been arrested for protesting a landfill) became public. Parents worried about children getting sick. Cancer rates in affected areas skyrocketed. In the years after the federal government evacuated the neighborhoods surrounding the Love Canal chemical dump site in upstate New York, worries grew that more communities were affected. These worries were acute in African-American communities, where similar health complaints were not unusual..."more at headline.