Washblog

Upcoming

SPRING 2007 - JANUARY 2008
Focus the Nation (WA Page)

During the spring, summer, and fall of 2007, Focus the Nation teams will be creating campus dialogue, sponsoring talks and debates, integrating discussion of climate solutions into curricula, and drawing in faculty from across the curriculum. Focus the Nation will culminate January 31, 2008, in the form of national symposia held simultaneously at over a thousand campuses, places of worship, businesses, and other venues across the country. On that day, each Focus the Nation team will invite local, state and federal political leaders and candidates for office to come to campus and participate in a non-partisan, round-table discussion of global warming solutions. US Senators and members of congress, state representatives, mayors and city councilors, all will be receiving dozens of invitations to speak about global warming, from over a thousand institutions nation-wide.

Prior Events

TUESDAY, MAY 8
Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth, featuring Dr. Richard Leakey
Burke Museum
May 8, 2006 – 7:30 pm at Meany Hall

A two-hour multi-media presentation with world-renowned paleoanthropologist, conservationist, and environmental activist, Dr. Richard Leakey. Tickets can be purchased in advance on-line at focusonplanetearth.com, or by calling (800) 927-4647 Monday – Friday.

TUESDAY, MAY 3 - TUESDAY, MAY 15
CLIMATE CHANGE 101

University of Washington Program on Climate Change in the King County Library System
Many people say that climate change could be the biggest issue facing our planet. Members of the University of Washington Program on Climate Change will introduce the science of climate, touch on local and global impacts of climate change, and address simple things people can do to mitigate global warming. For more information about the UW program on Climate Change, visit UWPCC.

TUESDAY, MAY 8
North Bend Library
Presented by Justin Minder and James BoothMay 8, 6:30pm

THURSDAY, MAY 10
Maple Valley Library, May 10, 7pm.

SATURDAY, MAY 12
Federal Way Regional Library, Presented by Marcia Baker, Saturday, May 12, 1pm.

TUESDAY, MAY 15
Bothell Regional Library
Tuesday, May 15, 3:30pm
Presented by Aaron Donohoe, Justin Minder and James Booth

SATURDAY, APRIL 14
STEP IT UP 2007 is a national day of action to call for Congress to cut carbon by 80% by 2050. 782 events are planned in 48 states across the nation, including 32 in Washington state.

From: Health News Digest, 3/3/07
"The non-profit Earth Day Network, which organizes and coordinates annual Earth Day celebrations around the U.S. and beyond, is partnering this year with Step It Up 2007, a nationwide campaign organized to demand bold federal action on climate change.

As part of the build-up to Earth Day itself (April 22), Step It Up 2007 has organized hundreds of rallies to take place a week earlier on April 14, including major events at or near “meaningful, iconic” places that are already reeling from the impacts of global warming. These include: New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina wreaked destruction in 2005; Mt. Rainier in Washington state, where the volume of glaciers shrank by nearly 25 percent over the last century; and Key West, Florida, where increased ocean temperatures are causing the region’s living coral reefs to turn white (bleach) and die."

SATURDAY, APRIL 14
Put Your Community on a Low Carbon Diet: Host a Global Warming Café on April 14th

In partnership with Step It Up 2007’s National Day of Climate Action, Empowerment Institute invites you to join us in helping to shape the future, by hosting a “Global Warming Café” in your community.

Based on the successful World Café large-group dialogue format, the Global Warming Café is a 4-hour participatory workshop that anyone can host to empower their community to become part of the global warming solution. Its easy-to-implement design engages participants in a heartfelt conversation about global warming, and then invites them to take personal action to reduce their carbon footprint through the Low Carbon Diet, program. Those who wish to go further are invited to launch a “Cool Community Campaign” to mobilize their community to reduce its CO2 footprint 20% by 2010.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30 - SUNDAY, APRIL 1
Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival

TUESDAY, MARCH 27
Climate Change Presentation
Please join the Sierra Club's South King County Group at our Bi-Monthly Meeting for a timely presentation on climate change. Learn about the latest scientific data, potential solutions, actions underway, and things you can do. 7:00 - 8:00 PM at the Wesley Gardens Retirement Community, 815 So. 216th St., Des Moines--take exit 151 on I-5. Contact: Peter Rimbos at primbos ()comcast (dot)net.

Saturday, March 10
From the Highline Community College Climate Change Group:
Raising the Temperature: A Global Climate Change Community Roundtable
3/10/07, 10:00am -12:30pm
Highline Community College Buildings 2 and 3, Rooms 2-101 and 3-102
Speakers include

• Lara Whitely Binder, Outreach Coordinator for the UW Climate Impacts Group
• Peter Illyn, Founder and Executive Director of Restoring Eden: Christians for Environmental Stewardship ("Inconvenient Christians") and representatives from:
• The US mayor’s climate protection agreement
• The Washington Blue-Green Alliance between the United Steel Workers and the Sierra Club
• A local environmental community action group

Saturday Family Science at Town Hall Seattle
Saturday, March 10 at 11 am and 1:30 pm
An Inconvenient Truth: The Earth is heating up. Lisa Shimizu, of KEXP 90.3 FM and The Climate Project, presents a 40-minute slide show especially designed for children 8-12. This presentation served as the basis for Al Gore’s Academy Award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth. Local 5th grade science teacher Laura Maier leads an interactive experience that graphically demonstrates the principals of climate change. Every family will receive a copy of The Low Carbon Diet, a how-to guide showing easy ways for families to reduce their carbon footprint. Sponsored by the KEXP 90.3 FM and The Bullitt Foundation. Downstairs at Town Hall, enter on Seneca Street. Free for kids 16 and under /$5 for adults. Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets or 800/838-3006.

Numerous bills that affect climate have been filed, from encouraging the use of alternative fuels in school buses to incentives for community-based solar energy projects.

A comprehensive bill, SB 6001: Mitigating the impacts of climate change, has passed in both the Senate and House as of 4/12/07. Senator Poulson, one of the bill's sponsors, gives background and context here Also see: WA House Passes Climate Change Measure, The Longview Daily News, 4/12/07.

Climate Solutions says: SB 6001: Establishes aggressive goals for reducing the state’s emissions of carbon pollution, sets a firm limit on emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants, reduces the state’s expenditures on out-of-state fuel imports by 20 percent, allows the state’s public utilities to off-set some of their carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits. (Seattle City Light was told in 2006 by the state Supreme Court that it lacked the legal authority to do so), codifies Governor Gregoire’s Executive Order 07-02, helps attract investment capital for the clean energy technologies this climate change fight needs.

The Clean Air – Clean Fuels bill (SHB1303 / SSB 5586) is one of Washington Environmental Council's four Legislative Priorities and also passed in both houses of the Washington legislature. The bill would replace dirty diesel school buses with clean diesel buses, require a 25% reduction in petroleum use by state fleets by 2020, create the infrastructure and incentives for Washington State to produce and use biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol. Web form for legislative support.

NW Business Leaders' Letter to Policymakers
Over 240 leaders of a wide array of Oregon and Washington industries are calling on the region's policymakers to lead an aggressive push to make the region a hub of clean energy technology development and deployment.

Governor Gregoire’s Executive Order 07-02 directs the Director of the Department of Ecology and the Director of the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders to develop a climate change initiative, Washington Climate Change Challenge, to achieve:

• By 2020, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state of Washington to 1990 levels, a reduction of 10 million metric tons below 2004 emissions;
• By 2035, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state of Washington to 25% below 1990 levels
• By 2050, the state of Washington will do its part to reach global climate stabilization levels by reducing emissions to 50% below 1990 levels
• By 2020, increase the number of clean energy sector jobs to 25,000 from the 8,400 jobs we had in 2004
• By 2020, reduce expenditures by 20% on fuel imported into the state by developing Washington resources and supporting efficient energy use.

National Legislation
Legislation can be viewed on Thomas

Clean Energy Act of 2007 (HR 6)
This consists of two separate acts, the 'Ending Subsidies for Big Oil Act of 2007' and the 'Royalty Relief for American Consumers Act of 2007'. This royalty relief refers to exemptions for offshore drilling. Together the funds recouped represent approximately $14 billion, which would be put into a separate account to be known as the `Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve'. This Reserve will be available to offset the cost of

1. accelerating the use of clean domestic renewable energy resources and alternative fuels
2. promoting the utilization of energy-efficient products and practices and conservation
3. increasing research, development, and deployment of clean renewable energy and efficiency technologies.

This passed in the House and was placed on the Senate calendar in January and was expected to pass in the Senate.

Climate Stewardship Act of 2007 [HR 620]
To accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by establishing a market-driven system of greenhouse gas tradeable allowances that will limit greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, reduce dependence upon foreign oil, and ensure benefits to consumers from the trading in such allowances, and for other purposes.

Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act [S 309]
To reduce by calendar year 2050 the aggregate net level of global warming pollution emissions of the United States to a level that is 80 percent below the aggregate net level of global warming pollution emissions for calendar year 1990

• Automotive emissions standards: HB 1397
• Green building standards: SB 5509.
• Promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances: HB 1062.
• HB 2352, Net Metering
  Net metering allows electricity customers to offset their consumption of purchased electricity with electricity generated by their own small scale renewable system. The customer's small renewable energy system is connected to a utility's electrical distribution system and electricity is fed back to the electric utility over an applicable billing period.
• Promoting the use and production of renewable fuels and energy: HB 6508 and HB 2939.
• Providing incentives to individuals, businesses, and local governments to generate electricity from wind or solar on their own properties: SB 5101.

Wikipedia: Renewable Energy Certificates:
A green energy provider (such as a wind farm) is credited with one green tag for every 1000 kWh of electricity it produces. A certifying agency gives each green tag a unique identification number to make sure it doesn't get double-counted. The green energy is then fed into the electrical grid, and its tag is sold to consumers. This is, in effect, a form of consumer subsidy for renewable energy to balance governmental subsidies provided to fossil and nuclear-generated power. It enables more clean renewable energy to be made.

Bonneville Green Tags
Bonneville Environmental Foundation was instrumental in starting the Green Tags program in the US and is the only US nonprofit to sell them.

NativeEnergy
Sells as many green tags as possible and then uses the funds to guarantee a specific fixed price to a future wind farm, for example, making the building of the wind farm a financially viable prospect. The income provided can generate the additional incentive needed to build renewable energy plants.

Netgreen offers resources and tools for individuals, businesses and communities to achieve a net reduction in emissions.

Climate Solutions Clearinghouse Database
NW-specific info. on for individuals, local businesss, and government

2people.org: Social networking for climate.  

• Seattle PI: Gregoire Joins the West's War on Warming
• Reuters: Western States United to Bypass Bush on Climate.
• Evergreen Politics: Interview with Governor Gregoire. Washington will need to pay more attention to reducing automobile emissions than other states to meet this challenge, as our reliance on (relatively low-emission) hydropower leaves less room for improvement in that sector.

• Investors Managing $4 Trillion Call on Congress to Tackle Global Climate Change
  Ceres, Investors and Environmentalists for Sustainable Prosperity issued a Call to Action on March 19, 2007 that calls for a 60 -90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. 60 businesses and other organizations, representing $4 trillion in assets, including Washington State Investment Board, have signed on.
• The 25 x '25 Workgroup
  25 x 25 is a national alliance of organizations representing farmers, ranchers, and forest owners (co-chaired by a WA farmer, J. Read Smith). It calls for 25% of the total energy consumed in the United States to be produced by American working lands by 2025. In February 2007, it issued its Action Plan, outlining its blueprint for achieving this goal.
• NW Business Leaders' Letter to Policymakers
  Over 240 leaders of a wide array of Oregon and Washington industries are calling on the region's policymakers to lead an aggressive push to make the region a hub of clean energy technology development and deployment.
• Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action
  February 8, 2006
  1. Human-Induced Climate Change is Real
  2. The Consequences of Climate Change Will Be Significant, and Will Hit the Poor the Hardest
  3. Christian Moral Convictions Demand Our Response to the Climate Change Problem
  4. The need to act now is urgent. Governments, businesses, churches, and individuals all have a role to play in addressing climate change— starting now
  Washington signatories include, Philip Eaton, Ph.D., President, Seattle Pacific University, William P. Robinson, President, Whitworth College, and Richard Stearns, President, World Vision.

• Apollo Alliance
  A coalition of unions, environmental groups and community-based organizations pursuing a statewide agenda of investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency to create good jobs, achieve energy independence, revitalize underserved and rural communities and improve our environment.
• Bonneville Environmental Foundation
  A charitable and non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to encouraging and funding activities and projects that lead to greater reliance on clean, environmentally preferred renewable power, and to healthy sustainable fish and wildlife habitat within the Pacific Northwest."
• Climate Solutions
  Climate Solutions mission is to accelerate practical and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment and bridging divides. Our regional organizing approach is transforming the global warming debate in the region and laying the groundwork for a successful, multi-stakeholder climate action agenda.
• Cool Cities Campaign (WA cities) -- Sierra Club
  So what is a Cool City? These are cities that have made a commitment to stopping global warming by signing the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. The Cool Cities campaign helps cities turn their commitments into action by pushing for smart energy solutions. A new "cool states" program is also underway by Sierra Club.
• Focus the Nation (WA page).
  FTN is coordinating teams of faculty and students at over a thousand colleges, universities and K-12 schools in the United States, to collaboratively engage in a nationwide, interdisciplinary discussion about “Global Warming Solutions for America”.
• Harvesting Clean Energy
  A project of Climate Solutions.  Its goal is to build awareness of the benefits of renewable energy technologies for rural landowners and communities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and to support implementation through technical and educational resources.
• NetGreen
  NetGreen offers a simple yet significant avenue for people to become a part of the global warming solution. NetGreen encourages us to become carbon neutral — a state of being based upon balance and responsibility. NetGreen empowers individuals, businesses and communities to achieve a net reduction in emissions today, while working to reduce their emissions over time.
• Northwest Biodiesel Network
  A grassroots organization with a mission of promoting the use of biodiesel in the Northwest as an immediate and effective way to advance environmental health, economic strength, and social and political well-being.  It serves as a kind of clearinghouse of information for people who want to use biodiesel in their vehicles.
• Northwest Energy Coalition
  An alliance of more than 100 environmental, civic, and human service organizations, progressive utilities, and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia promoting development of renewable energy and energy conservation, consumer protection, low-income energy assistance, and fish and wildlife restoration on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
• Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
  A non-profit corporation supported by electric utilities, public benefits administrators, state governments, public interest groups and energy efficiency industry representatives. These entities work together to make affordable, energy-efficient products and services available in the marketplace.
• Northwest Energy Efficiency Council
  A non-profit trade association of the energy efficiency industry.
• Northwest Solar Center
  A project of Washington State University.  Its guiding board consists of northwestern utilities, not-for-profits, and governments promoting solar energy development.
• Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development
  This organization works in the NW to help build rural economies through clean, affordable and distributed energy and to advance energy independence for the Northwest by developing and supporting creative projects, policies, and financing models to meet the region's power needs through local, sustainable energy sources.
• Pacific Regional Biomass Energy Partnership
  Encourages the development of bioenergy in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. It is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and state energy offices.
• Renewable Northwest Project
  A broad coalition of public-interest organizations and energy companies.  It promotes development of the region's untapped renewable resources by working with local organizations and energy companies to get workable renewable projects in the ground, promoting policies that support renewable energy development, encouraging utilities and customer groups to invest in new renewables, and helping to develop the markets for renewables.
• Rising Tide North America Rising Tide is an international network born out of the conviction that corporate-friendly and state-sponsored “solutions" to climate change will not save us. We are committed to Earth-centered, community-based solutions to the climate crisis that foster local autonomy and self-sufficiency. We are part of the global movement against climate chaos and for social and environmental justice. We believe climate change can only be addressed by exposing the intersections between the oppressions of humans and the earth. The natural disasters caused by climate change amplify the injustices inherent in a capitalist, racist, and patriarchal society; we must respond to these disasters in ways that do not continue that oppression. As a matter of survival, we must decrease our dependence on the industries and institutions that are destroying the planet and work toward community autonomy and sustainable living. For this movement to succeed, local communities need to take initiative and make this global struggle relevant to their towns and bioregions. We need to start thinking strategically about how to spark a nationwide uprising against the fossil fuel industry that not only disrupts business as usual, but inspires widespread resistance. A Cascadia chapter is planned, contact cascadia–at–risingtidenorthamerica.org for more information.
• Solar Washington
  A private not-for-profit association of solar energy equipment manufacturers, system integrators, distributors, dealers, designers, consultants, students, and interested people with a mission to promote the development and effective use of solar and renewable energy and the related arts, sciences, and technologies with concern for the economic, environmental, and social fabric of Washington State through education.
• Step It Up -- Seattle
  The Seattle chapter of a national group organizing a day of action on April 14. Step It Up is a grassroots effort to set the terms of the next discussion. It is a chance for the People to express their outrage at what has been done, and their frustration with the recklessly slow pace of government action. Through a multitude of spontaneous, individual, and uncoordinated actions, we will call attention to a common demand for our governments to commit to a goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2050. We will demonstrate to elected leaders at all levels of government the breadth and depth of support for this demand, and how dearly we love this planet. Think of the people you love. Think of the places you love. Think of the things you love to do. Then join us.
• Stockholm Environment Institute
  The Seattle office was opened in 2006. This is an international research organization focusing on sustainable development. and headquartered in Stockholm with centers in the US, UK, Estonia, and Bangkok. SEI's US center focuses on the social, technological and institutional requirements for a transition to sustainability, providing policy-relevant analyses, working to build capacity for integrated sustainability planning through training and collaboration on projects. LEAP (Long Range Energy Alternatives Planning System) is an energy-environment modeling tool based on a comprehensive accounting of how energy is consumed, converted and produced in a given region or economy. It is "used by many hundreds of organizations in dozens of countries for integrated energy and environmental planning."
• 2people
  We're here to build the public mandate for real solutions to global warming. Through projects such as the Focus the Nation - Climate Dialogues and Climate Elections 2008, our goal is to close the gap between what's scientifically necessary and what's politically possible. If you're looking for ways to get involved, and people to connect with, you can find them here. We're a community of concerned citizens, helping each other find ideas and form teams, whether it's for taking political action, greening your lifestyle, or letting others know about what you're doing.

• Climate Friendly Farming
  A Washington State University program from the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. Helps farmers to develop and implement agricultural systems and practices that mitigate global climate change.
• Northwest Combined Heat and Power Application Center
  The Northwest CHP Application Center will assist organizations with CHP projects that are economically viable and make efficient use of energy. District energy systems are also encouraged. Covers the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Its headquarters is in Olympia, WA, and is part of the Washington State University (WSU) Extension Energy Program. Combined heat and power (CHP) technologies produce both electricity and steam from a single fuel at a facility located near the consumer. These efficient systems recover heat that normally would be wasted in an electricity generator, and save the fuel that would otherwise be used to produce heat or steam in a separate unit. CHP offers dramatic advantages in efficiency and much lower air pollution than conventional technologies.
• Triple BIO^TM
  Washington’s agricultural and natural resource industries face increasing pressure from rising energy and input prices, increasing global competition, global climate change, heightened demand for environmental responsibility, and declining rural income relative to urban populations. In this difficult context, our farmers are being called upon to produce energy in addition to food and fiber, while also providing environmental services such as clean air and water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Triple BIO^TM is a comprehensive program to address all of these competing interests without compromising the primary goal of improved agricultural sustainability in Washington State.
• University of Washingon Climate Impacts Group
  an interdisciplinary research group studying the impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change on the Pacific Northwest. Through research and interaction with regional stakeholders, the CIG works to increase the resilience of the Pacific Northwest to fluctuations in climate.
• Washington State University Climate Change and Rural Energy Development Center
  Serves as a "central, non-regulatory clearinghouse of credible and reliable information addressing various aspects of climate change and clean energy activities."
• Washington State University Extension Energy Program
  Provides energy services, products and information to industrial plants, private consulting firms, power marketers, utility consortiums, government agencies, and utilities, as well as the general public. The focus is on renewable energy and conservation.

• Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council.
  Created by Federal law (16 U.S.C. 839) in 1980. The Council is responsible for preparing a regional conservation and electric power plan as well as a fish and wildlife protection, mitigation, and enhancement program to deal with the operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries.
• Washington State Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development's Energy Policy Division
  Charged under state law with the task of facilitating the development and use of a diverse array of energy resources with emphasis on renewable energy. Every two years, the CTED is required under state law to deliver an energy report to the governor and legislature that focuses on implementation of the state energy strategy.
• Washington State Department of Ecology Climate Change