Frakenstorm Poses Risks for Coastal Cities

As I listen to the forecast of disasterous conditions for cities in the eastern coastal areas, I am reminded of a 2008 post I wrote for emPower Magazine on why African Americans should care about climate change. What was not considered at the time was the impact of rising tides and extreme weather on nuclear facilities in those areas. The short term solution is to check in with your local officials and/or FEMA to determine the best steps to take to protect you and your family/neighbors. Once this storm has passed, I urge you to make your local, state and federal officials accountible for solutions which address, prevent and/or mitigate risks associated with climate change. To get started, read this article from Sustainable Business on politicians that vote green or not and let them know that African Americans do care about climate change and it's negative impact on our communities. Kudos to publications like emPower Magazine for trying to keep these types of issues on the forefront of conversation in the black community!

Debate Attacks Green Jobs

Washington Post Check out this article highlighting the attack on green jobs during the debate last night. Interestingly, green jobs are actually growing faster in conservative parts of the country. Guess someone didn't get his talking points from the many conservative employees that are benefiting from these new economy, innovative, green jobs. It's okay for old economy companies to continue to benefit from "job creating" subsidies, but not okay to provide subsidies to develop the American jobs of the future. There will be some winners and some losers, but subsidies are supposed to provide capital to encourage growth and investment and build knowledge in new, riskier industries that have great potential. This is what SBA loans and SBIR grants do to support entrepreneurs that show potential, but may not be attractive enough to get capital from banks or even equity investors, given their risk profile. Many successful businesses have benefited from that early boost that an SBA loan or government grant provided and have grown to become job and wealth creators for their communities. I'm pretty sure that Big Bird wasn't the only one making the famous Scooby Doo sound..."RRRR?", during last night's debate.

Say It Out Loud! I'm Green And I'm Conservative?

New Groups Make A Conservative Argument On Climate Change | WBUR & NPR
Good to see that greener living is being embraced by folks on both sides of the political spectrum. Guess folks are realizing that we only have one habitable planet.

The Environmental Side of Occupy Wall Street

The Environmental Side of Occupy Wall Street Green is good.

House Republicans Ready to Vote to Eliminate Efficient Lightbulbs!

House Republicans Ready to Vote to Eliminate Efficient Lightbulbs!A burning issue for our nation that requires congressional action. ASAP! Really?

White House Forum on Environmental Justice

Learn while you listen to key White House environmental officials respond to your questions about environmental justice. You can multitask and share while you listen. Also search for other interesting White House videos.

Politics As Usual As Congress Passes on Climate Change Legislation

Senators decided to pass on moving forward with enacting climate change legislation last week. Money talked, and "principles" walked right out to the door. So, poor people will pay as usual for poor policy. Like the victims of hurricane Katrina, they will be stranded in hot, toxic, dry cities and towns as a result of decades of harmful environmental policies and decisions that benefited powerful and wealthy forces. After the financial crisis of 2008, there are a lot more poor people and middle class folks on the edge, so don't think this won't affect you or yours. Not even the disastrous BP gulf oil spill was enough to compel our congressional leaders to move forward on the legislation. Guess that was a far fetched notion, when some politicians were publicly apologizing to BP. WTH? So what else is new? Rome burns while Nero (us) fiddles. We need to stop letting our politicians off the hook on these issues and let them know how we feel, because I seriously don't think they are reading our blogs. The events of last week indicate that some blogs are not only being read, but generate action at high levels. Wow. How can we elicit such a rapid fire response for our outrages? Not sure. Maybe we are perceived as being too weak and passive. Why is that? Did we think that by electing a black president all of our troubles and responsibilities would magically disappear?We need to think about that. Anyway, if you want to express your ire at the lack of action on climate change, you can write your rep through the links provided in the "Write Your Rep" section on this site. That's what I'm going to do.

Take Action Now On The BP Gulf Oil Crisis

Okay, as promised here are some great ideas for you to engage in the Gulf oil crisis. My thanks to Amy of "Tacoma Green Mama" for sharing this resource, she always has great information. The most expedient action you can take is to write your representative or President Obama, using the links provided in this blog. Hurry, because it seems as though this oil well is going to gush forever. I just continue to be amazed that with all of these MIT, Caltech, Oxford and Morehouse grads out here, that this problem has not been resolved. Man is playing with God's fire, but doesn't know how to extinguish it. Lessons here?

New Solutions:

Panelists:

Will Allen, Growing Power Inc (Growing Food in the Community) Was featured in NY Times (very tall)
Alan Greene, MD, Stanford Univ of Medicine
Kenneth Cook, Environmental Working Group (major policy advocate)
Jeanne Rizzo, RN, Breast Cancer Fund (Focuses on the environmental causes of breast cancer)

Will Allen: Everyday is earthday! Wants us to remember - Its all about the soil. If we grow healthy soil, we grow healthy food. His talk is over. Psyche. 86% of consumers say they want locally grown food. Slides: Bought last remaining farm in Milwalkee Wisconsin inb 1993. Shows pictures of kids then, comments that they look different than kids today, cause pants were pulled up. LOL! Kids were involved with building farm, composting, gardening, using tools, reading, planting in communities, transformed vacant lots. garden art. Multicultural, multigeneration organization, led by people of color. Grow food year round. Works with juvenile offenders. Really doing a lot of compost and different kinds of food waste. Does a lot of training on composting. Does a lot with vermiculture (worms). Shows a slide with people holding lots of worms. Sell their worm composting product for $4. Food waste converted into cash. Also has fish farms. Lake perch and tilapia. Markets to areas with food deserts. Uses hot compost to keep greenhouse warm. 60% of people involved in small scale agriculture, under age 40. Also using food waste via methane to generate electricity. Solar panels used. Water collection system, recycled into fish farm and plant watering. Also, has animals, goats,chickens, turkeys, bees. Works with the blind, planting for 20 plus corporations, the city (city hall has a garden), asphalt gardens for seniors, just opened up a retail store... this man is AMAZING. School gardens, rooftop gardens in the city, in Chicago has four farms including Grant Park - intensive gardening. Mr. Allen just received a standing ovation! I'm teary eyed. Oh my goodness!

Alan Greene, MD

I'm still high on Will Allen. Let me focus. Okay, he is talking about about environmental cues on genes development. Pesticides - impact on mental development of children, obesity. Body works with women in pregnancy to avoid certain chemicals and desire specific types of foods. How do chemicals get in body? Routes: Mom's mouth, on skin and air we breath. Air - We can make a big difference with little changes. Biggest pollution is in our homes- open windows and doors, houseplants (top ten), choose wisely, avoid products with fragrance if not essential oils. Skin - do a complete makeover of all the products you use, go to www.skindeep.com to check out it's safety. Mouth - Avg American eats 150 pounds of food additives per year. Did you know that endangered species zoo animals eat only organic food. Watch food containers. A study shows that by increasing intact of good healthy foods can significantly reduce amounts of toxins. Raw food yeah! Changing food habits can be difficult. Babies learn food habits via imprinting. Is that why my son associates me with cookies? Children are our canaries in the coal mine. If we are seeing rapid increases in changes with our kids health, we must consider environmental impact. The Safe Chemicals Act, dependent on TOSCA reform (see Lisa Jackson comments). Again, women are being called out to initiate change. $58B a year spent on environmentally caused illnesses.

Ken Cook

Says that this is one of the most important environmental conferences in the world. We have recently started studying pollution in the developing fetus. (shows a slide of a fetus with beating heart). Average of 200 chemicals found in core blood. Studying ten babies of color, African American, Hispanics, Asian American, a total of 382 chemicals found in those babies. www.ewg.org/humantoxome/  We should ask ourselves, are these chemicals safe? There can be health impacts at low exposures, despite what some chemical industry officials state. Uses examples of effectiveness of low dosages of certain medicines to counter that statement.Including Cialis, Albuteral, Paxil, Nuvareen. Gives examples of warning labels of some of these drugs. Very funny. Small exposures can matter. MORE LISTS! About the same as others. EWG has so many guides for shoppers. Go to www.ewg.org/women to get these guides. Says that men need to be brought along on these issues. We need Toxic Chemicals Reform. See Lisa P. Jackson. We should assume that chemicals can cause harm, require public disclosure of health and safety studies. We can make this happen. Shows a poster from the 50's bragging about "More Doctors Smoke X Brand than any other cigarette!". Gives examples of bans of lead, DDT.

Jeanne Rizzo, RN

1992 a 42 year old woman diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, started the Breast Cancer Fund to find out if environmental causes were behind her disease. She died years later, but her work lives on.
Asks people to call out the names of friends, family members that have died or are dealing with this disease. There are several pieces of legislation in Congress right now, dealing with this disease. (Didn't know this). Primary Prevention - Preventing disease in the first place, before it starts. An absolute public health imperative. We need to take precautionary information on how to protect the environment to avoid disease. Reduce periods of most vulnerable times of exposures. Need to understand how mixtures of chemicals matter, science is trying to catch up with the realities of our complex daily lives. What can we do? Shop for safe cosmetics, use our wallets and social networks. Natural products industry is growing like crazy for these reasons. The industry is listening. www.safecosmetics.com. Lipstick, face paint,shampoo. Call for the passage of the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. Federal Toxic Toys Act result of strong science and thousands of letters from parents going to Congress. We need to be mindful of old furnishings and toys, as they are filled with these toxic chemicals. BPA - avoid canned foods. This was originally designed to be a hormonal agent. Look for the label - BPA Free. The Banned Poisonous Additive Act - just introduced by Senator Feinstein. We need to support. The FDA governs these types of substances. Food Substance Contact - we need to pay attention to this category. Fragance - a dirty word? Clorine bleach mimics estrogen. (did not know that). Goodbye Tilex. Household Cleaning Ingredient Disclosure - another pending piece of legislation. Ionizing Radiation - CT Scans, X rays really need to be discussed with doctor, because there are serious impacts. So I guess if you have had cancer related radiation treatments you just SOL. More reasons to eat raw to offset all of that negative energy.

Questions

How do we do that in our city? Where do we get the resource?
Will Allen trained over 1000 communities last year, eight regional training centers. Engage the community first to get them onboard. May have to wait a year to develop relationships with waste providers. (complimented the conference organizers for their waste collection efforts). Collect your waste and bring to urban farms, they really need it. They are competing against waste collectors.  He says we need to get started, quotes the First Lady and says "Lets move!"

Is outdoor air really not as bad as indoor air pollution?
Yes. Offset this with good nutrition, calcium and vitamin D, air out your home, houseplants

Where are the gaps/weaknesses in changes being made?
A lot of fatigue from advocates over the last decade. We need to get up and get going again.
Gaps in public will to address these issues.
Need to create projects that are perceived to be assets to the community.
Conversation about endocrine disruptors, very unhealthy, prevalent in many products
Medical profession - look for a doctor that looks at the whole person, asks questions about chemicals you are exposed to.

How do we responsibly get rid of these toxic products in our homes?
Lots of hesitation on this question. No good answers.
Solution is green chemistry, green design.
Minimize waste. Reuse. Use whats left of personal care products, replace with safer products.
Contact local solid waste district.

Asks the audience to consider the following:

Raise hands in response to anyone whose family has been touched by breast cancer, diabetes, learning disabilities, prostate cancer. Almost everyone raised their hands at least once. Let's get out there and leverage the new science and policy initiatives to change this situation.

Theresa Heinz, event funder and breast cancer survivor, says that today unlike in the past, we can see an opening for solutions, we have choices, information. Talks about teens 12-15 year old in Pittsburgh with breast cancer.A 15 year old that lost their mom because she couldn't afford a mammogram. This is awful!
There are lots of well meaning people out there that will fight you tooth and nail, perhaps young mothers and grandmothers in this group might be reachable. First time she has heard an EPA administrator say the things that Lisa P Jackson, said today. Says that the system in Washington isn't working, so we need to make things happen.

Okay, the conference is officially over. Back to Cleveland to spread the news!

Finally, A Fighter For The Environment and Justice In The EPA

A change is gonna come. Is your business ready? Check out this article on Lisa P. Jackson's serious efforts to improving our environment.

Turning The Table On The Climate Change Debate

Once a spinner of talking points for the Republican party's environmental messages, Frank Luntz, has seen the light. He is now working his messaging magic on behalf of the environmentally correct to help gain more support for action on climate change. Luntz believes that talking points should center around four key areas:

• Energy independence
• Good health
• American jobs
• Accountability for businesses and corporations

By sticking to these messages, environmentalists and politicians can seriously expand the base of support for climate change initiatives. Click here to read more of Luntz's commentary.

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.