Vote!

No matter how many steps you have taken to reduce your environmental footprint, you will inevitably run up against limits to individual actions. Right now I don’t have the option to buy renewable energy from my utility providers. Many of the roads that I bike have no bike lane. Buses come once every half an hour, and the service ends early in the evening. The United States still has no comprehensive climate and energy policy. My car still runs on foreign gasoline.

Individual actions just aren’t enough to protect the environment. That’s why it’s so important to cast your vote. People we elect could protect the environment or destroy it. They could promote renewable energy or offshore drilling. They could raise or lower vehicle fuel efficiency standards. They could fight climate change or deny it.

Some people think there is little to no difference among candidates regarding their environmental positions. I disagree. Oftentimes, there are significant differences. Check your candidates’ environmental positions by visiting Project Vote Smart’s website at www.votesmart.org.

Voting takes only a few minutes, but impacts are ever-lasting. So, get out and vote today!

Friday To-Do: President of American Petroleum Institute to Speak at Clinton School

American Petroleum Institute (API) President Jack Gerard will give a Clinton School lecture about his industry’s role in the American economy, particularly its ability to create jobs. The oil and natural gas industry is responsible for 9.2 million American jobs, according to API, the national trade association representing the oil and natural gas industry.

API is also responsible for killing federal climate and energy legislation by funding the likes of Claiborne Deming, former Murphy Oil CEO. Deming traveled all over Arkansas to spread the gospel that the cap-and-trade bill will kill the U.S. economy. Between January 2009 and June 2010, API spent $11 million to lobby Congress to defeat pollution reductions and to maintain tax loopholes. During the same period, the oil industry spent $543 million to lobby Congress.

WHEN: Friday, October 22 – 12 p.m.

WHERE: University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service – Sturgis Hall

Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501)683-5239.

Register for Symposium on Economic & Environmental Issues in AR

All of us have a stake in the economic and environmental sustainability of our state.

This symposium brings together a diverse group of scholars to share original research, stimulate and encourage educational initiatives and promote increased collaboration among private and public organizations.

Hosted by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center, the Symposium will be held at the U of A Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service State Office in Little Rock.

The fee is $25 for pre-registration, $30 day of the event and $15 for students. A CD containing each researcher’s executive summary, PowerPoint presentations and other materials will be mailed to all participants. Continuing Education credits may apply.

To register and to view the agenda, click here.

For more information, contact Debbie at dhenry@uaex.edu or call (501) 671-2299.

How Senate & White House Killed Climate Legislation

This week’s New Yorker has a behind-the-scene story on how the Senate and the White House missed their best chance to pass federal climate and energy legislation.

Since I spent the last year working to support comprehensive federal climate and energy legislation, I found the article to be extremely insightful. Generally, I find President Obama to be doing a good job, but with regards to climate change, he did not lead. His refusal to lead, combined with the Senate inaction, killed the bill in July 2010.

Check out the article by clicking here.

Treehugger also has a list of seven things that killed the climate bill. I agree with the list but will add the eighth factor that contributed to the bill’s demise – apathetic American public.

As Ryan Lizza reports in his New Yorker article, the Pew Research Center conducted a poll in January 2010 asking Americans to rank the importance of twenty-one issues. Climate change came in last.

Why would our representatives do something about climate change when it is of no importance to us?

It is easy to blame politicians for not doing something about climate change, but what have you done about climate change? How many times did you talk to your representatives about climate change this year? How many times did you voice your support for climate action this year?

It takes all of us – the White House, the Senate and American public – to deal with climate change.

Next time the Congress decides to deal with climate change, please don’t remain silent. Talk to your representatives. Voice your support. Because if we don’t, we will miss the boat again, and we can no longer afford to not deal with climate change.

AR Energy Office Announces Increased Energy Star Appliance Rebate Amounts

The Arkansas Energy Office announced last week that it has increased the amounts for its Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program. The increased amounts apply to new purchases and will be retroactive for those who have already received rebates,

The program provides mail-in rebates for consumers who replace their refrigerators, clothes washers, and water heaters with products that qualify for an Energy Star Rating. The rebate amount for qualified refrigerators increased from $125 to $275; clothes washers from $175 to $225; and water heaters from $200 to $300.

Since the rebate program began in March 2010, about $832,000 of the original $2.74 million remained last week.

Those who have already received rebates do not need to do anything to receive the additional rebate money.

The Arkansas program is part of a $300 million nationwide effort to encourage energy efficiency. The program is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

For more information, visit http://arkansasenergy.org.

UPDATE: City Allows WLR Farmers Market to Continue

Last Monday the City of Little Rock code enforcement officers shut down West Little Rock Farmers Market which has been setting up at Pulaski Academy for the past 4-5 weeks.

Last Friday assistant city manager Bryan Day send the following note:

Good afternoon —

City staff has met and talked about the local market being held at Pulaski Academy . We are very much in support of local farmers and want to find a way to increase access to home grown produce throughout the community. In light of our discussions, we have decided to allow the market to continue operating at Pulaski Academy on an interim basis. We must all sit down in the future and develop a long-term strategy for providing locations and procedures for local farmers. Please let me know who would like to be a part of that discussion.

If you have questions, please feel free to call me.

Bryan

Please thank Bryan by emailing bday@littlerock.org. Two other folks deserve our thanks, and they are Dana Carney (dcarney@littlerock.org) and Tony Bozynski (tbozynski@littlerock.org). Please contact them today and tell them that you appreciate them for supporting local farmers.

Lisa Lipe who writes Real Food in Little Rock tipped off Leah Hennings who writes Citizens’ Daily Lobby. I first I read the news on Leah’s blog.

These two blogs are my favorite reads, so be sure to check them out!

Last but not least, thank you to all who worked to keep West Little Rock Farmers Market open! There are too many to name, but you know who you are. Thanks for all that you do for local food!

Citizens’ Daily Lobby: LR Code Enforcement Shuts Down West Little Rock Farmers Market

Yesterday the City of Little Rock’s code enforcement officers shut down the West Little Rock Farmers Market at Pulaski Academy. The officers cited zoning and lack of business seller permits as the reason for shutting down. For more information, visit Citizens’ Daily Lobby by clicking here.

UPDATE: Four farmers who grow own produce in central Arkansas hauled $1,000-2,000 worth of fresh local food to Pulaski Academy on Monday afternoon. They were met by a city code enforcement officer who informed them that Pulaski Academy is not zoned for such an acitivity. Neither farmers nor Pulaski Academy knew that they were violating PA’s zoning codes. The farmers asked that they be allowed to sell what they had hauled, but the officer informed them that they would be fined $1,000 if they sell anything.

I talked to one of the farmers after the incident. Apparently, someone called the City to complain about them, which led to the dispatch of code enforcement officer.

Who in their right mind complain about selling fresh local produce on a school property? Max over at Arkansas Times Blog is absolutely right. With the City facing budget cuts and dozens of staff positions remain vacant, shutting down West Little Rock Farmers Market is their priority?

I asked a friend who knows the Mayor well to contact the City immediately after I learned about the incident. To their credit, the City has indicated willingness to work with the farmers. I’ve connected the affected farmers to the City managers, and hopefully, we can reopen the market soon.

In the meantime, tell Michael Keck, City Director who represents the Pulaski Academy area, that you support local farmers. Contact him at (501) 371-4510 or mkeck@littlerock.org.

Tell your City Director that you support local farmers. Some of them have already been contacted, but it is important that we make our voices heard. You can find their contact information by visiting: http://www.littlerock.org/BoardofDirectors/MemberBios/.

Additionally, contact Dana Carney, Zoning Office Manager, and tell him that you support local farmers. Contact him at (501)371-4844 or dcarney@littlerock.org.

Remember, No Farms, No Food. Support your local farmers!

Wednesday To-Do: David Orr, Climate Policy Expert @ Clinton School

David Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College, will give a Clinton School lecture titled, Down to the Wire: Climate Policy Alternatives, about the politics and policy of climate change. A scholar in the fields of the environment and politics, environmental education, green building, ecological design and climate change, Orr is the author of, Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (2009). Recently, Orr was a key participant in The Climate Action Project, a $2.2 million effort to define a 100 days climate action plan for the Obama Administration.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 31 – 6-7 p.m.

WHERE: University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service – Sturgis Hall

Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501)683-5239.

What Do Gore & Deming Have in Common?

Check out an op-ed by Eddy Moore, Coordinator, Arkansas Business Leaders for a Clean Energy Economy, in this week’s Arkansas Business. Moore encourages business and political leaders to follow up on the solutions proposed by Al Gore and Claiborne Deming. The solutions proposed by these two seemingly very different men are:

• Aggressive pursuit of energy efficiency and conservation, wherever cost effective;
• Increased use of wind power, when cost effective;
• Increased use of natural gas to produce electricity; and
• Nuclear power.

Read the full op-ed at http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=120922.54928.133060&cID=g.

New Study Finds AR to be Vulnerable to Gas Price Spike

As many energy experts are predicting that gas prices are expected to rise over $3 dollars per gallon nationally this spring, a new study shows the heavy toll these spikes would have on Americans’ wallets. A new economic white paper, called Ranking States Oil Vulnerability: Assessing the Continued Threat of Gas Price Spikes, examines the impact of a gas price spike similar to the summer of 2008, showing the impacts in states across the country.

Arkansas ranks 11th most vulnerable of the states. If gas prices were to spike this year like they did in 2008, the percent of families’ income spent on gas would jump from 4.52 percent to 8.33 percent.

The data reveals that drivers in all states are dependent on oil for their transportation needs, but some states are more vulnerable to oil price increases than others. Drivers in the most vulnerable states will be particularly hard hit in the event of another spike in the price of gasoline, which is one of the economic risks Americans face due to the country’s dependence on oil.

“Our ongoing oil addiction is draining our wallets and our economy, and rising gas prices will only add to this burden,” said Deron Lovaas, transportation expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “That’s why we need to move forward with clean energy and climate solutions that will not only strengthen our national security and our environment, but will also help revitalize our economy.”

Even without an oil price shock, there is a major gulf between the nation’s 10 most vulnerable states and the 10 least vulnerable. The 10 most vulnerable states are (from most to least): Mississippi (most vulnerable), Montana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, Maine, Georgia and Idaho. The 10 least vulnerable states are (from most to least): Florida, Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut (least vulnerable). (See the full report with a complete list of states’ data: http://http://docs.nrdc.org/energy/files/ene_10031601a.pdf.)

“The impacts of gasoline prices in the midst of a struggling economy make it clear that our country needs to reduce its dependence on oil,” said Elizabeth Hogan, analyst at David Gardiner and Associates and the author of the report. “By promoting more efficient vehicles, clean fuels, smart growth, and public transportation, our government can put an end to our unhealthy addiction that pinches our wallets and threatens our national security and the environment. “

In order to cut America’s dependence on oil and help reduce the risk of oil and gas price spikes, the report recommends the following policies for the U.S. Congress:

• Pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation that limits carbon dioxide emissions, helps us break our oil addiction, and helps create millions of clean energy jobs here in the United States; and
• Fundamentally reform federal transportation policy to support smart, transit-oriented development; assist states and regions in saving oil; and provide ample funding for energy-efficient transportation alternatives including rail and bus lines, bike paths, sidewalks, and other alternatives to driving.

For the full report, go to: http://docs.nrdc.org/energy/files/ene_10031601a.pdf.

Senators Lincoln & Pryor Co-Sponsor Building Star Legislation

Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor have signed on as co-sponsors of S. 3079, or Building Star Energy Efficiency Act of 2010. The bill assists in the creation of new jobs by providing financial incentives for owners of commercial buildings and multifamily residential buildings to retrofit their buildings with energy efficient building equipment and materials and for other purposes. According to a March 2010 study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Building Star program would create 130,000 jobs in 2010 and 57,000 jobs in 2011.

To learn more about S. 3079, click here. To read ACEEE’s analysis of job creation through energy efficiency programs, visit www.aceee.org.

Shop Consciously!

One of the reasons why I like to cook from scratch is so that I don’t support companies that I disagree with unknowingly. Did you know that Altria, formerly known as Phillip Morris, owns Kraft Foods? I don’t care what other people do. If you choose to smoke, fine with me. Just don’t smoke around me. If you buy Kraft Foods products, go for it. But I choose not to support Kraft Foods because I don’t like smoking. I have no need for its products anyway. I make almost everything from scratch.

Recently Eddy and I added Whole Foods to the list of companies that we refuse to support. In August 2009, John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, wrote an op-ed against health care reform that appeared on the Wall Street Journal. Eddy and I believe this country needs health care reform. I have a physician and nurse as my parents and spent half of my childhood in Japan where there is a universal health care. After moving to the United States, my father advised every Japanese who came to see him to go back to Japan if he or she needs care. My father whose lab was located inside a VA hospital felt this country treated its veterans poorly.

I, along with Eddy, feel strongly that this country needs health care reform. We know some people disagree. Some of them are our family members and friends. Those of you who know us know that we love vibrant discourses. We view disagreements to be a good thing at times.

We, however, believe we don’t have to hand over our hard earned dollars to companies whose views are vastly different from ours. So, we stopped shopping at Whole Foods. And we don’t miss a thing! We only went there once a month anyway.

In fact, when we found out that the Whole Foods CEO told the New Yorker that “no scientific consensus exists” about the causes of climate change, we were very glad that we made the choice that we made.

By cooking from scratch and shopping locally, Eddy and I have opted out of the system that includes companies like Whole Foods and Phillip Morris. Oh, we’ve also opted out of Wal-Mart, Tyson, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Barnes & Noble, and The Gap. Quite frankly, we don’t miss a thing!

Every dollar you spend affects the world you live in, so shop consciously. Go green and opt out of the system!