In a previous thread, I mentioned how Austria, China and Germany, among other nations, have made the matter of adopting renewable energy one of culture and national pride. I just discovered that Starbucks operates a website based on a similar concept:

http://www.planetgreengame.com

While that company has a very long way to go before we can call it green, the aforementioned website can accomplish a great deal. I urge everyone to use it and learn about how our energy and transportation choices are linked directly to our carbon footprint.

As for Starbucks restaurants themselves, I recommend that they mirror in their purchasing of coffee beans the strong history of corporate stewardship they have toward charitable donations. If they adopt a policy of buying only 100% shade-grown, fair-trade coffee, I just might feel comfortable shopping at my local branch.

Until then, however, http://www.planetgreengame.com should be added to everyone's browser bookmarks/favorites. It is just that good.

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler

As part of their operating principle, "Don't be evil.", the technology company Google, through its charitable arm, has begun to offer its employees who drive plug-in hybrid vehicles the option of recharging while at work. This is an exemplary move on Google's part. My hat is off to them!

Alas, despite being the recognized leader in hybrid technology, Toyota has yet to see fit to release a plug-in version of its hybrid models. They need to understand that consumer groups and environmentalists want this to change. You can help.

There is a simple online petition which I encourage all of my friends to complete. It will send a clear message to Toyota that they must address this issue.

Plug-in hybrids reduce driving expenses by significant amounts and when other employers follow Google's lead, the demand for Toyota's products will expand.

The petition URL is http://ga3.org/campaign/toyota_plugin

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler
 

Here are two steps you can take to reduce your carbon emissions without undue hassle:

1) Institute a personal ban on incandescent light bulbs, purchasing only compact fluorescent or LED technology.

All of the major home improvement warehouse chains offer at least one good model of these bulbs, as do many hardware stores. If you do not have access to such establishments, try http://www.thebulb.com

2) Read http://www.lime.com for a comprehensive approach to clean, sustainable living.

If you prefer a more focused or offline approach, subscribe to The GreenGuide from National Geographic - the go-to source for green living. The address is http://www.thegreenguide.com

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler
 

USA Today has done it again! America’s national newspaper has published a handy summary on how we go about reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases as a nation. The solution lies with the cities (and with us as individuals as well, of course). The URL is http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-21-mayors-environment_N.htm

The next time you find yourself wondering what you can do to stop polar ice cap melting, refer to the above article. Then, once you understand how the progress is made elsewhere, the moment will have arrived for you to ask your local government to make similar moves. Demand reform. There are organizations which will help them find cost-effective solutions. Your city or town may even find that some of the options save them money.

If you would like to reach out to people who have succeeded in helping American cities do their fair share, check out http://www.coolcities.us

The key concept to remember is that the reason we have a polar ice cap melting crisis is our huge dumping of carbon and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. We cannot correct the problem overnight but if we all do our part, we will be well on our way to a real solution. Join me in bringing about real change.

As you have gathered from reading this blog, I am a firm believer in the use of carbon offsets in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Indeed, if we are to achieve the most urgent goal of an 85% drop below 1990 levels by the year 2050, we will need many arrows in our quiver, both commercial and environmental. Carbon offsets, also called green tags, can play an important role in our common quest.

The damage caused by our inaction already is being felt by polar bears and global warming has become a growing priority in the business community.

How do the large businesses view the situation?

Is the market for carbon offsets truly large enough for corporations to trade their emissions with those of cleaner companies and produce a net reduction?

The answer is an unequivocal yes!

Indeed, some who specialize in carbon trading (a growth industry in many parts of the world) estimate that it will be a $1 trillion annual business in the near future. For further proof, I recommend spending a few minutes on the following website, reading about a convocation of business leaders, environmentalists and government experts who will exchange best practices and experiences from the front line in the battle to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining healthy economic growth worldwide:

http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/carbonmarkets/carbonmarkets_sanfrancisco07.html

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler

Because of my long history with them, the Sierra Club remains my favorite environmental organization.

One of Sierra's closest allies and peers, though, is the League of Conservation Voters.

Like Sierra, it is politically non-partisan. It played a major role in the 2004 presidential election and is poised to do so again in 2008, albeit now earlier in the process, while the two major parties continue to examine all of their respective candidates.

Through its educational arm, the League of Conservation Voters hosts an issue website, called The Heat Is On. It contains valuable information, including videos of candidate appearances, statements and news coverage. I can't recommend it highly enough:

http://www.heatison.org/content/index

No matter who will receive your vote for President, if you care about global warming, you should spend some time on the aforementioned site. It is run by environmentalists who have my full support and respect.

The URL once again is http://www.heatison.org/content/index

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler
 

I own Microsoft stock but that is not the reason for this post.

Partly in response to the tremendous work which the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has done around the world in recent years, Microsoft has dedicated a greater portion of its outreach efforts into environmental awareness in 2007, allocating a portion of the revenue from paid searches on its Live.com platform to the battle against poverty and global warming.

Now, Microsoft offers Earth Eco Effects, a nifty online game which combines a strong conservation message with environmental trivia and images of the planet.

If you know youngsters who would do more to protect the environment if you had a means of engaging them on their level, or if you enjoy online games of skill, spend a few minutes at the website below. You will be glad you did.

http://club.live.com/games/ecoeffect.htm

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler

Is it possible for two more polar opposite (pun intended) issues as glacial melting and weddings to be related?

Hang with me. The answer is yes.

Of course, one is melancholy to ponder and the other is full of excitement but there is a genuine connection and I can prove it.

I have written about the fact that successful programs to encourage citizen participation in energy conservation and the adoption of renewable technologies made the issue cultural. When it comes to acting for the common good, what better example is there than a wedding?

The good news is that a genuine trend is underway and we need to do all we can to foment its growth.

Whereas some betrothed come to feel that marital planning and preparations move at a glacial pace, weddings which make the extra effort to reduce their environmental impact truly can help slow the pace of glacial melting, a tragic effect of global warming which will deprive millions of people of dry-season drinking water in the coming years.

USA Today has published a wonderful piece on the subject of brides who think green. I urge you to review it and consider its meaning:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2007-06-24-green-weddings_N.htm

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler

So, now you know. TerraPass is an alternative energy company which I am pleased to support with my wallet.

Beyond my pride at the company's success in offering an affordable option for those of us who seek to offset greenhouse gas emissions which we feel we have no choice but to produce, I am delighted that TerraPass also has become a leader in teaching the business community and public in general about the entire marketplace for renewable energy credits.

In the June edition of its newsletter, TerraPass features a wonderful story which I pass along to you as a follow-up to a previous post of mine. Yes, it is true. In a few short years, the business of trading carbon on the open market will involve $1 trillion. That's a lot of zeros! Read on...

http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/2007/06/what-is-the-value-of-the-voluntary-carbon-market.html

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler
 

Since automobiles cannot run on coal and since natural gas usually provides less torque when burned in the average car, you might assume that we would not use oil to generate electricity. Such a conclusion would be logical but wrong.

Indeed, in some locations, the medley of fuels used to provide 120 volts at 60 Hertz to your house is comprised of as much as 20% oil.

OK, so how does that fact bear on the price you pay at the pump? How does it affect gas prices and vice versa?

It goes to the point that our air quality is affected by the breakneck pace of new construction of coal-fired power plants in China. It forces us to remember that the water we drink today was the same water which sustained dinosaurs eons ago. In short, everything is connected.

Driving less or turning off your car at long traffic lights will not lower the per-kilowatt hour rate on your monthly electric bill, but focusing on the consumption of carbon every time you flip on the light switch or take a leisurely drive instead of biking or walking can help you develop the mindset of conservation.

The connectivity between our lifestyle here in the industrialized world and the way people subsist by living directly off the land in developing nations is among the most important reasons to understand your carbon footprint, your impact on the planet’s natural systems and the degree to which your choice of commuting by car rather than mass transit or setting your home’s thermostat two degrees lower in the summer ultimately affects rainfall and insect migration on another continent.

One of the best places to begin to understand this important issue and how to measure the depth of your impact is at CarbonFootprint.com

As you have come to discover through reading this blog, I make a habit of pointing out good resources.

The following URL certainly qualifies. Once you have calculated your impact, I encourage you to click around the site for other learning opportunities, particularly since the content has a distinctly British flair.

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/USA/calculator.html

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler
 

If you power a 100-watt incandescent light bulb continuously for a whole year and the electricity from your local utility is generated completely with coal, how much of the mercury-laced, toxic black rock would be burned?

America’s coal lobby would have us focus on the stability of our nation’s electrical grid and such is a valid concern.

We cannot allow that point, however, to obscure the other numbers, the intensity of mining required to keep our power plants running and the huge sums of byproduct (pollution) which they spew as a result.

So, if you wonder why energy prices seem to rise unrelentingly, I have a website for you to examine.

Our good friends at HowStuffWorks.com have summarized the light bulb question and connected it with coal very nicely.

We're talking many tons per person:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question481.htm

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler

Could a 30-second video explain all of the details relevant to the causes and solutions for global warming? Not that I have seen but I recommend the following clip because it does almost the same thing.

We, humanity, are the short explanation of the problem. As our industrialization and population grow, we constrict the planet’s ability to regulate temperature and protect us from the galactic nastiness which impacts the Earth every single day.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-297617828540097743&hl=en

Why, then, are the polar ice caps melting?

Because we fell billions of trees, burn billions of gallons of gasoline and mine billions of tons of coal every year.

Why do we do that?

I could lash out at rampant consumerism but instead, I encourage you to allow the above video to resonate with you and then ponder how you can practice the environmentally-conscientious behaviors I have espoused here on Keyboard Culture.

That’s what I did, although it was more than a decade ago. I always have been passionate about acid rain, recycling and protecting endangered species but at the same time, I enjoy contemporary Jazz and modern cinema, both consumer-centric activities. Only when I considered the impact of everyone who enjoys the same leisure activities I do that I began to realize the aggregate impact of our lives.

The Nature Conservancy does not involve itself in politics but is extremely successful in what it does. Indeed, I make a point of telling people that I am personally responsible for the permanent preservation of dozens of acres of tropical rainforest. I have done that through regular monthly contributions to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt An Acre program.

America’s lungs are to our south, in the giant (but shrinking) forests (including jungles) of Latin America and the thriving seas of the Caribbean. When we protect them, we safeguard our nation’s oxygen supply.

In addition to generating oxygen and sequestering carbon, these forests play a vital role in regulating temperature and maintaining atmospheric stability. As you will read in my book (details at http://www.ProgressivePathway.com), forests are crucial and their destruction is a main contributing factor to global warming.

If you would like to learn more or donate to the Nature Conservancy’s great works, visit http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/adoptanacre

They will be happy to accept recurring contributions such as I give or one-time donations. Visit their site today and help reverse the trend of polar ice caps melting.

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler

Whether you believe that the United Nations is anachronistic, an underutilized resource or something else, you should read the following report:

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=512&ArticleID=5616&l=en

The business of upgrading the way humanity uses energy is growing, faster than many economic sectors. I, for one, am bullish about our ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create new good jobs (green collar) with benefits at the same time.

Diversification of the world’s energy sector is also good for business and can help stabilize electricity and gas prices.

It is for this reason that I also recommend that you consult your financial professional about including socially-responsible mutual funds in your investment portfolio.

Sierra Club funds may be worthy of your consideration. Details and a sector overview appear at http://www.sierraclubfunds.com

Sustainable Justice For All!

Corbett Kroehler