2011: A Green Odyssey

The title of this post is inspired by the Stanley Kubrick film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, that I watched for the first time last night. I know. Flash forward to 2011, and while we may not be on our way to Jupiter, there are some tremendous predictions for designing products and processes that create a cleaner, greener earth that may make the case for going to Jupiter, less pressing. While we have a long way to go towards living in a more eco-conscious world, there is much work to be done towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, eliminating wasteful processes and valuing natural services, I am seeing the signs of a green awakening everywhere. In 2010, a day did not pass without witnessing evidence of more sustainable business practices and green consumer goods. A really wild example came from a recruiting mailer addressed to my teen son, which exclusively highlighted the variety of sustainable practices and career opportunities of the sender. There was even an offer for an eco-friendly tote bag or t-shirt if he went online to request more information. Did this come from Peace Corp? Greenpeace? The Sierra Club? The EPA? No. It was a recruiting mailer from the National Guard! Wow. When the National Guard starts to go green, big things are poppin'. Either that or someone has a really targeted, on the money, marketing database. Could be both, given the times. But, I digress. The federal government, Wal-mart and other large corporations are evaluating the sustainable business practices of their suppliers and to various degrees, awarding business to the most environmentally friendly vendors. Packaging is shrinking and more often than not, highlighting the amount of recycled content, or sustainable forestry practices. Restaurants are buying produce and foods from local farmers and artisans,  and are using more non-styrofoam takeout boxes. Colleges are touting their green buildings and earth friendly practices, in addition to their sustainable business, alternative energy and sustainable agriculture degree programs. Go Bucks! Grocery stores and drug stores have a wider selection of organic, fair trade and eco-friendly product options. Urban eyesores are being converted to urban edens. I have yet to see a new construction project in my city that was not LEED certified and even existing office buildings are vying for the title of "most energy efficient" by pursuing Energy Star certification. It's beautiful. This progress flies in the face of all the outright lies that have been told about "job killing" climate change intiatives and ignorance displayed in 2010. There will be a big push to maintain the status quo in 2011, it will be a challenging journey on the path leading to a cleaner, greener, friendlier world. HAL 9000 is among us, but the momentum is on the side of change, so let's grab our helmets and go into hyperdrive by speaking out and up for ourselves and for those unable to advocate for themselves, buying green, living consciously and intentionally.

Thank you for role in making 2010 a greener year!

Welcome GreenSoul Movement - "EatRight" Blog

Welcome GreenSoul Movement - "EatRight" Blog A wonderful reader shared this grassroots, soulful, green and raw blog. The website is authored by Crystal Riles and Azalea Blacock McCoy, two passionate and energetic Oakland sisters with a love of all things green, raw and earthy. Currently they are in the midst of documenting a journey of how to feed a family on good green unprocessed, unpackaged food instead of on the dollar menu at fast food restaurants, which unfortunately too many of our families are forced to do out of lack of ends and information. Michelle Obama should be all over this. I love their idea of buying a Vita-Mix (the ultimate raw food machine) for $10 on Craigslist, finding free fruit and veggies on Freecycle and Craigslist sites and organic veggies for $1 at the dollar store. The lovely ladies even provide great smoothie recipes to try out on your kids and other loved ones. This is truly keeping it real and accessible for all of us. I love it!

Keep up the great work Crystal and Azalea!

Timberland/Yele Launches Bootwear Collection To Benefit Haiti Environment

Strap on your Tims and give Haiti a helping hand. In November, Timberland and Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti launched a partnership as part of Earthkeepers 2009. Timberland introduced a collection of t-shirts and 16 eco-conscious boots, made from recycled and organic materials. Two dollars will be donated to Yele for the purpose of rebuilding Haiti's de-forested environment. Deforestation was becoming a problem in Haiti, as poor citizens were using the trees to make charcoal for fuel. Deforestation causes many latent environmental problems, including, increase in carbon emissions, erosion of soil, loss of wildlife and the balance it brings, increased temperatures and vulnerability to hurricanes. So this was a huge need in November, you can imagine the depth and breadth of the need in the wake of the earthquake, which is why funds are being reallocated towards the relief efforts. Click here to view photos from the launch party.

Feeling the Heat: Climate Change Has Become a Reality for Germany - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Feeling the Heat: Climate Change Has Become a Reality for Germany - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International One always hears reports of developing or brown nations feeling the heat of warming global temperatures. Unfortunately, for some reason, this news appears to fall on deaf ears. African countries are hurting, what else is new? Why should I care? It's all about me, right? Kind of like the same attention that crime, drug supply, low academic achievement, unemployment and poverty receives in America; that is until these issues are faced by folks in suburban locations. Well, I think we may have found our climate change counterpart of the suburbs. It turns out that folks in the hinterlands of Europe are now feeling the heat of global warming. OMG! Someone call Nancy Grace! This article outlines how subtle changes in our environment can affect our way of living and should encourage you to observe your natural world, notice changes and connect the dots. Perhaps, with a few more Germany's reporting in on how climate change is threatening their economies, this issue will be taken more seriously by the general public and their political representatives. That is unless the lobbyists for the status quo, generate a corresponding increase in congressional subsidies.

Obama Lands, Climate Talks in Serious Disarray - ABC News

Obama Lands, Climate Talks in Serious Disarray - ABC News This hasn't been the best week for President Obama, let's hope things can turn around for him with some good news today in Copenhagen. Quick summary of where things are to date:

- African nations heated up over lack of progress in agreeing to reduce carbon emissions
- Goal of a new carbon emissions agreement between nations (Kyoto expires 2012) is vaporizing
- Quest by developing nations for payment to develop and grow economies sustainably, gaining traction
- U.S. proposes to put $100 billion towards this effort, developing nations feel this isn't enough
- A 2 degree rise in global temps will put the planet and specific geographic locations in serious jeopardy
- Proposals under discussion will reduce global temp increases to only 3 degrees, so we are still underwater
- China agrees to be more transparent in its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and explain increases
- Very likely that no legally binding agreements will be produced at this summit
- Looks like you are on your own folks

Click here to view this well organized, easy to read and comprehensive guide to climate change, published by the World Wildlife Fund.

I wonder if there are any Worst Case Scenario books for climate change?

Watch Al Gore Repower The Climate Change Debate

Watch this YouTube clip of Al Gore trying to fire everyone up again in Copenhagen. Personally, I think he is just warming up for President Obama's appearance later this week. No pressure, Mr. President.

Setting The Stage For A Greener Community

Last week, I attended the Ohio Planning Annual Conference, which had a theme around sustainability.Most in attendance were urban planners, engineers, architects and consultants. I was the only banker. Planners are professionals that develop long and short term plans for the use of land in a region. They factor the vision for the city, demographic trends, social, enviromental and economic goals into development a document called a comprehensive plan. I attended four workshops, 1) Visioning with Sustainability In Mind 2) City of Cleveland Vacant Land Reuse Plan 3) Historic Building Preservation is the New Green and 4) Engaging Citizens in the Comprehensive Planning Process. This is what I learned:

1) The principles of city planning and sustainability share many values

2) It is important to engage the community or stakeholders in setting the vision for the future

3) There are many approaches to implementing sustainability into your city's plan - the Marin County, CA comprehensive plan is the cadillac of these plans

4) Foreclosures and population declines allow cities an opportunity to re-green space, improve water resources and neighborhoods through land banking

5) Some cities offer residents an opportunity to acquire property for $1 after a period of demonstrated improvements on the land

6) Residents have opportunities to apply for grants to recreate and re-develop their neighborhoods on a micro level

7) Preserving an historic building can be a greener approach to new construction, lots of value stored in the building in the form of solid construction and energy already expended in its' construction

8) You have an opportunity to shape the future of your city, region and/or state through participation on community planning boards and open houses

9) Elected officials, zoning officials and private companies need to be educated on the benefits of sustainability, economic and social rewards

10) There are lots of loan programs, tax credits and grant programs available for small businesses in the area of sustainability and historic building preservation, but no simple way to access this information (I can assist you with this-email me at bn2g00@gmail.com)

11) Bio-waste is the new oil, companies and cities are looking for ways to sell their organic waste

So there you have it, as Gandhi stated "Be the change you want to see in the world". Start visualizing and brainstorming some great ways to productively use land and space in your community, call your council person or county executive and make it happen baby!

A Historic Win for Green Shareholders | GreenBiz.com

A Historic Win for Green Shareholders GreenBiz.com Thank you @greenlifetoday for sharing this information. Shareholder Advocacy, one of three prongs of socially responsible investing (SRI) was responsible for this historic decision by an Idaho (of all places) utility company to curb greenhouse gases.

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Oil Industry Memo Calls for Rallies Against Climate Bill

Oil Industry Memo Calls for Rallies Against Climate Bill Many of the big oil companies (you know the ones with the record breaking profits in 2008, when the rest of us were getting our behinds kicked), have decided to pursue the town hall strategy of our nations' insurers and conservative groups. Since it is becoming more apparent ever year that we need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuel, disarmed with a lack of innovation and imagination, these companies are turning to their plan B - confuse, distract and misinform the masses. Hey it seems to be working for health care reform (at least that is what is being reported); so why not climate change? They seem to be saying "Let the remaining 92% of the world's population that doesn't control much wealth starve to death, fight over water rights and lose their homes to fires, rising sea levels and hurricanes, we just need to keep making shockingly huge profits - by any means necessary."

So I post this article to prepare you for the barrage of misinformation that you may be hearing or reading about in the next month. African American communities will be targeted with the threat of the loss of employment (Hello, that happened ten years ago) and rising utility bills. I just caution you to know who is behind the information and to really think through some of the talking points. The good news is that Greenpeace is on it and ready to defend our planet, its animals and its people.

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Green Stimulus Dollars

GreenBiz reports that the big winners in the American Recovery Act's support of a green economy will be clean energy businesses/investments (solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, smart grid), green building and energy efficiency. Highlights from this article:

• $94 billion in green funding
• Rules are complicated to access and understand
• Funding available in the form of tax credits, federal rebates and loan guarantees
• More changes coming in the next year to program structures and the stimulus bill

My advice, stay in communications with your state and federal legislators to keep abreast of opportunities and raise their awareness of your organization. Check out www.recovery.org for a map of where stimulus dollars are being spent today.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Bill Moves Forward

Click here for details on the Waxman-Markey climate change that recently made it out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee:

The bill ‘s centerpiece is a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program that aims to reduce emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and 83 percent by 2050. Roughly 15 percent of the carbon permits in the framework would be auctioned off, with the remaining permits given away to a variety of interests, such as electricity distributors, natural gas companies, oil refiners and carbon-intensive industries, such as steel and cement. (Excerpt from the article)

The bill will face many challenges on its way to passage. You can easily write your legislators to express your opinion through the links provided on Black and Into Green.

Simple Cap and Trade Explanation

Want a simple explanation of how a "cap and trade" system will work to reduce greenhouse gasses? Click here to listen to this Marketplace podcast on the topic. I love public radio!

Our Black and Green President

Listening to the President's speech. He is not playing when it comes to renewable energy and climate change. It infiltrates almost every major initiative that he promotes. $15B a year commitment. Show me the money! Seriously. Show me the money.

New Orleans: Here We Go Again?

I am getting pretty anxious here in Ohio keeping up with the news of the impending hurricane Gustav (staff of God) in the Gulf Coast area. I can't imagine the stress and tension that the residents of that area, especially New Orleans, must be feeling at this time. I am reminded of the song from Keyshia Cole's latest CD, "Here we go, going through the same thing". I hope and pray that we don't see a repeat of the indifference and incompetence that the world witnessed three years ago. It appears on the surface that residents of New Orleans are being encouraged to evacuate and plans have been made to provide access to transportation for all need citizens of the city, humans and pets included. For frequently updated information on the situation, NOLA.com, is a good website to subscribe to at this time.

Blacks Likely to Feel Greater Impact of Climate Change

Check out my most recent article featured in last week's edition of emPower Magazine. It is part of a series that outlines why African Americans should care about climate change. This week addresses the adverse potential health risks to Blacks associated with global warming. These risks include, but are not limited to, respiratory diseases, heat related illness and parasitic ailments. Want to know more? Read further here.

Blacks More Likely to Get Burned by Climate Change

It seems as though we are constantly on the front lines of one thing or another, poverty, families in crisis, health issues, crime, environmental racism and now climate change. Check out this report which explains out how blacks will be more deeply impacted by climate change. As temperatures rise, our cities will get hotter, because many of us live in sections of urban areas subject to the heat island affect, we will be faced with higher energy costs in an attempt to stay cool. In light of the rising trend in energy costs, many families and elderly will not be able to afford to stay cool and suffer increased risk of death from heat related illnesses. Water is another issue that could pose a problem as water shortages are expected to increase with the drier weather in southern and western cities. Chicago is actually addressing the heat island issue as they prepare for hotter temperatures in the years ahead. Initiatives include planting trees and adding reflective coatings to roof and pavement surfaces. What is your city doing?

Environmental News Across the Diaspora

It is often reported that global warming will have the most profound effect on the lives of people already living in perilous and tenuous conditions around the world. So while we live in relative physical comfort in North America and the United Kingdom and may not feel a sense of urgency around changing our lifestyles, perhaps this information found on my environmental news feed, may motivate and encourage us to continue to live more consciously on behalf of our brothers and sisters around the world:

Al Gore backs O-B-A-M-A!

Global warming changing the landscape of Africa.

Climate change affects the Masai.

Farmers, conservationists fight against coal mining in South Africa.

Eco-friendly asthma inhalers to be more costly in U.S., jeopardizing health of African American children.

East African birds face dangers in the midst of global warming.

Food crisis may help small African farmers.

Big European investors buying up cheap farmland in Africa for greater control of food.

Check out this article from Urban Habitat to learn more about the impact of climate change on black, brown and poor populations around the world and suggestions on how you can help address and reduce these impacts.

More Suffering in Somalia

Somalians are suffering more than ever from severe drought, rising food prices, rising inflation and violence. Babies are dying and mothers are crying. I know we have our own problems in our communities, but at least we have access to food and a liveable climate. Most times we are oblivious to the impact of our growing demands for more stuff, more fuel, more food on others in the world, especially those on the continent of our ancestors. Reading this article will really make you wonder how much of our actions are impacting our peers across the diaspora. I read the article and wondered what I could do to help. There are no easy solutions, but you can control what you can control and that is to live a life that is more conscious of our cousins around the world.

What are your thoughts?

See for Yourself: Will Your Coastal City be Underwater

Climate change seems so nebulous and distant at times. How is it going to impact me really? We often ask ourselves that question consciously or subconsciously. If you are one of 53% of Americans living in or around a coastal area, this mashup created by MIBIZAAR (this guy is a mapping genius) lets you see for yourself in a visual map, titled "Nation Under Siege". The map provides a graphic image of your area showing the potential impact of a 1 meter or 3 foot rise in sea levels. Current projections show that sea levels could get there by 2100 if we continue to emit greenhouse gases at current rates. I'm not sure if the impact of the fast growing economies of China, India, South America or Russia have been factored into the current rate equation, so if could happen sooner. The mapping information is derived from climate change studies analyzed by Architecture 2030. This is a non-profit organization, founded by architect Edward Mazria to educate the public and builders on the negative impact of increasing greenhouse gas levels. The map provides a solid visual of new water coverage over U.S coastal areas. The first thing that will come to your mind are the horrific images of floating bodies, desperate citizens, death, confusion and apathy in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. While we may not be around in the year 21oo (unless they come up with some hellified medical technology), our children and grandchildren will. You know that insurers and developers are planning for this now, so why shouldn't you? Do what you can now to reduce your impact and advocate for others, including businesses and governments to reduce theirs to avoid this unpleasant scenario.



Keep reading Black and Into Green for more on environmental issues affecting your life and your communities.

Its Gettin' Hot out Here (but keep on all your clothes)

A Global Warming Fact- The winters are getting warmer in the northeastern U.S and we are getting less snow. Check out this link-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080112/ap_on_re_us/northeast_milder_winters