Happy Thanksgiving, Clog readers. Be safe. Be good(ish). Relax. Have fun. Say hi to Mom for us.
Sorry you’re stuck at work till 5 p.m. Looking for something to do? (Go ahead, put your headphones on … )
Click here to see my husband, Dan, and I … as (disco) elves.
Not interested in embarrassing yourself online? You can always go Flash Mob style …
Now that the U.S. government has a financial stake in the American auto industry, it’s advisable to watch legislation involving that sector all the closer.
Here’s an opportunity to tell the government what you think about new auto standards. Note: the public comment period ends Friday.
From SaveTheEnvironment.org:
The Obama administration has proposed new standards that would require new cars sold in the U.S. to average 34.1 mpg, cutting our greenhouse gas emissions and saving us money.
There’s just one problem: loopholes in the new standards would allow automakers to dodge the new regulations instead of meeting them…
BUT we have a chance to close the loopholes and strengthen the rule if we act before Friday, the 27th!
Please write the EPA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) right now, and urge them to close the loopholes that would allow automakers to evade the new standards.
The EPA and the DOT have asked for comments from the public by Friday, before they implement the Obama Administration’s proposal.
It’s hard to overstate what’s at stake here: we must cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically in order to avoid climate catastrophe, and we must cut them now!
Making our cars more fuel-efficient is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this.
If the proposed standards are enacted, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicles sold in model years 2012-2016 would equal 950 million metric tons – the equivalent of shutting down 204 coal-fired power plants for a whole year!
During the same time period these standards could save American car owners 1.8 billion barrels of oil. That’s money we’ll keep in our pockets – instead of shipping it to countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Libya, and Nigeria.
Tell the EPA and DOT that we can’t afford to enact weak standards.
Please don’t delay – we only have until next Friday to make our voices heard and force them to close these dangerous loopholes.
Once you’ve taken action, please forward this message to your friends and family to keep our momentum going strong!
Thanks for all that you do to protect the environment.
Sincerely,
Michael Town
Campaign Director, SaveOurEnvironment.org
info@saveourenvironment.org
Here’s President Obama announcing his emission standard goals:
A few years ago, I was invited to a Thanksgiving meal with friends who included two new arrivals from South Africa. As we passed the mashed potatoes and drooled on the buttered rolls, the South African woman stopped everyone and asked, “So, this holiday is all about eating and being thankful. That’s it?”
We laughed. Sure, there’s a little more to it than that — history, family, parades and football — but, yes, the essence of the holiday is about eating and being thankful.
That’s when I shared one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions: The Thankful List.
It’s probably not a new tradition for many of you, but for those — like me — from families where tradition falls a flat who are looking to create some of your own, this one is easy, free, accessible to all ages and a great way to warm your heart on Thanksgiving.
The thankful list can be as long or short as you’d like it to be, as deep or as shallow. It can be written and stored for posterity or noted only in your mind. You can share it, or not. There are no rules, just a reminder to stop for a moment each year to acknowledge the good stuff going down in your world.
So, what are you thankful for?
I’m not the only one who writes thankful lists:
Don’t forget: Renew, reuse, reduce, rethink, recycle. We’ve only got one livable planet — so far; be kind to her.
Unfortunately the coal ash at Charlotte’s two unlined, high-hazard coal ash ponds — located on Mountain Island Lake just upstream from where Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities sucks our drinking water out of the lake — isn’t recyclable. But, the good news is some of the coal ash from newer, more efficient coal-fired plants is re-purpose-able.
Since last December, when a Tennessee Valley Authority dike broke spilling an estimated billion gallons of coal sludge over 300 acres, the nation became aware of coal ash ponds in their own communities, including two in Charlotte’s backyard.
However, for academics and industry professionals, finding new uses for the toxic material is nothing new.
In fact coal ash is an ingredient used at some concrete production facilities, and has been for years. Brett Tempest is writing his thesis about ways to reuse coal ash as a Ph.D candidate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
“I like the idea that you can make good new things from waste,” he said.
But variances in coal and the varied ways coal waste is processed at the 600-plus coal-fired power plants in the United States makes it difficult for the concrete industry to establish specific standards, which means it’s not being used as much as it could be.
“It’s not a very uniform waste,” said Tempest, “but it’s uniform compared to a scoop from a landfill.”
Read the rest of this Mountain Island Weekly article here.
While coal ash in concrete is relatively safe, not all products that include coal ash may be:
One, two, three, four … what are we fighting for?
Bill Moyers, who was at the side of President Lyndon Johnson at the time when disastrous decisions were being made to escalate the U.S. presence in the quagmire that was Vietnam, used his experience to speak Friday night to President Barack Obama about what could be an equally disastrous decision to escalate the U.S. presence in the quagmire that is Afghanistan.
“Our country wonders this weekend what is on President Obama’s mind,” Moyers began, at the opening of a remarkable hour of television. “He is apparently, about to bring months of deliberation to a close and answer General Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan. When he finally announces how many, why, and at what cost, he will most likely have defined his presidency, for the consequences will be far-reaching and unpredictable. As I read and listen and wait with all of you for answers, I have been thinking about the mind of another president, Lyndon B. Johnson.”
Watch this episode of PBS’ Bill Moyers Journal here.
Here’s Moyers talking about the accountability of war a few weeks ago:
Crossroads Charlotte is highlighting community members working to improve the Q.C.’s social capital.
Here are links to the first two in the series:
Alan Kaufman moved to Charlotte in 1978 because he was “so impressed by the city and the potential for growth here.” As his vision of a growing city became a reality, he helped it along.
…
When history was made in Charlotte, it’s likely that Sarah Stevenson, 84, was there. A local resident since 1941, Stevenson became passionate about civil rights for all as a parent of students attending public school.
Now, ask yourself — what have you done for Charlotte lately?
Does America lack a sense of community?
Couldn’t resist sharing this uplifting video with you, Clog readers. Produced for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Annual Meeting, it began making the rounds on Twitter last week.
I noticed it the day after being lectured by a Charlotte newcomer on the city’s shortcomings. After that conversation, I was down and wondering how many other people feel the same. (No, I won’t name the complainer.) You see, any effort made to defend the city is taken by that person as more ammunition for negative spin. They said they’re tired of people working to convince them Charlotte’s Got a Lot.
Now, in fairness, when I first moved to Charlotte, from Atlanta, about four years ago it took me a long time to warm up to the the area, too. The sprawl is vast, the traffic can be horrific, the people I met were nice but not inclusive, CMS is powerful birth control, I missed Little Five Points, MARTA (that city’s mass transit system) and my friends. In fact, almost as soon as I moved here I began making plans to move again. Charlotte just wasn’t what I thought it would, and could, be. All the same, I decided to pause for a little while and at least give the city a chance.
In these few short years I’ve noticed a huge shift in Charlotte’s attitude and atmosphere. Now, instead of looking for another city to land I’ve started looking around. What I’ve found are large groups of people working hard to affect positive change — who are inclusive. And, I’ve gotten involved too. I’ve also stopped focusing on the negative and started seeking out people and organizations who do care, who are trying to shape the city’s future.
No, the Q.C.’s not perfect but it is evolving. And, frankly, it’s easy to bitch and shut your eyes to potential. What’s much more interesting is rolling up your sleeves, getting involved and making a difference.
With that, what do you see for Charlotte?
Credits: A vision for Charlotte created for Charlotte Remixed, the 2009 Charlotte Chamber Annual Meeting. Words by John W. Love Jr. Music by Fred Story. Production by Tribble Creative Group and the Charlotte Chamber Annual Meeting Committee. (See full credit roll at the end of the video.)
Here’s another inspiring Charlotte video from the Chamber:
The problem with this research is that a large percentage of people who read articles like this won’t care because they don’t plan on being here in 2099, nor do they have enough compassion to want to shield their grandchildren from having to deal with the messes we are creating today.
What would be helpful is this: What are the coasts going to look like in 10 years? 20? Give us some data we can start measuring off our docks right now.
Fast-melting ice from Greenland and Antarctica will lead to a much sharper rise in sea levels than previously estimated, touching off flooding that will radically alter U.S. East Coast cities from Miami to Baltimore, according to a new study.
Climate change will cause a rise of at least 1 meter (39 inches) in sea levels by the end of this century, according to a review of scientific data by Clean Air-Cool Planet, an environmental group that calls itself nonpartisan.
The projection is in sharp contrast to a 2007 study by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said world sea levels could increase 18-59 centimeters (7-23 inches) by 2100.
“We are on our way to radically changing what the coasts look like,” said Jim White, a professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder, who worked on the study. “Norfolk could replace New Orleans as the poster child” for coastal flooding, he told reporters on Thursday.
Read the rest of this Reuters article here.
Further reading: Harvard Finds Kidney Stones, Malaria Among Global-Warming Risks
Some plants and animals are already beginning to move inland in India:
One step down, millions of promises to go.
Senate Democrats said they had clinched the votes needed on Saturday to propel major health care legislation to the floor for weeks of full debate, as the majority party’s two last holdouts said that they would not block consideration of President Obama’s top domestic initiative.
Both senators, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, cautioned that their support on what was expected to be a party-line vote on Saturday evening did not guarantee that they would ultimately vote for the bill itself. And their comments signaled that more horse-trading lies ahead when the vigorous debate and amendment attempts begin after Thanksgiving. Big changes might be required if the bill is to be approved.
Still, the decision by the two senators set the stage for a crucial preliminary victory and an important psychological boost for the Democrats, who spent Saturday laying out their arguments for the bill, condemning the practices of insurers and decrying the plight of the uninsured in a parade of floor speeches aimed at cementing party unity.
“I have decided there are enough significant reforms and safeguards in this bill to move forward, but much more work needs to be done,” Ms. Landrieu said.
Mrs. Lincoln, who faces a tough re-election campaign next year, said that her decision was not driven by political considerations.
Read the rest of this New York Times article here.
“What is health care reform and why do we need it?”
Here’s a chance to state your case to the Charlotte City Council about our city’s green future:
A vote on 18 green projects that would be paid out of a $6.78 million U.S. Department of Energy stimulus grant goes before Charlotte city council Monday.
The council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, but the vote isn’t expected until about 8 p.m. Anyone who wishes to speak on the item can sign up through the City Clerk’s Office.
Last week, council members got a preview of the projects. Several proposals were criticized. So were the formulas used for determining job creation and emissions reduction.
The 18 projects – culled from about 250 ideas – are part of a community conservation strategy required under terms designated by the federal program. The projects must be approved by council and submitted to DOE by Dec. 4.
Read the rest of this Charlotte Business Journal article, which includes a summary of the projects, here.
Can’t make the meeting but want to stay informed? Those of you with cable can watch on the GOV channel.
Councilwoman and Mayor Pro-Tem Susan Burgess talks about why young folks should get involved in local politics pre-election:
