standforless: C'mon TeamUSA.... RT @TreeHugger: China Beat US in Offshore Wind, Europe Still Trounces Everyone Else in Solar Power http://bit.ly/aI7byBTue, Sep 7th @ 10:29am
Drive down pollution! You can also eliminate one pound of greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating just one mile of driving.
Californians bought 21.9 billion drinks in aluminum, glass, plastic and bi-metal containers last year. More than 16.2 billion of those were recycled, saving natural resources and extending the life of our landfills.
The U.S. transportation sector as a whole is responsible for almost 9% of the world's total CO2 emissions. That stinks.
Cut your monthly energy bills by as much as 30% by replacing the old equipment in your home with state-of-the-art Energy Star appliances.
CRV stands for California Refund Value. It equals 5¢ for each beverage container less than 24 ounces and 10¢ for each container 24 ounces or greater.
Report "smoking" vehicles. Call 1-800-28-SMOKE to report vehicles with excessive tailpipe emissions.
Shade provided by trees can reduce your air conditioning bill at home by 10-15%. Cool.
Save paper...save resources. Change your printer settings to 2-sided printing to reduce the amount of paper you consume at the office.
Close the loop! Visit greengiftguide.com and discover a wide range of household, recreational and beauty products made from recycled materials.
Unplug your cell phone charger and other household electronics from the wall when you're not using them. Even when they are turned off, they use phantom power.
Use cold water when you can. Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs.
Carpools and vanpools can use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and HOV by-pass on ramp meters, which allows you to get to work faster.
Help eliminate the use of disposable plates, cups and utensils. Bring re-usable dishware to work.
Thomas Friedman’s response to the demise of the latest climate bill in the U.S. Congress is “we’re gonna be sorry.”
In California, for now, there is a consensus that global warming is a serious problem that requires serious action. Under Governor Schwarzenegger’s Administration this consensus has had bi-partisan support.
Clean energy technologies like solar require the support of government policies because of the long-term nature of the investment required by the private sector.
For anyone not ready to accept that global warming is caused by human activity, or that it is even bad–there are other compelling reasons for supporting most of the key aspects of the climate/energy bill that was just abandoned by Congress. At the top of the list is our dependence on oil and all that that entails. Since the early 1970s an increasing majority of oil consumed in the U.S. has been imported. This means we are shipping our wealth to other nations. That’s bad enough, but we’re also depending on them for the lifeblood of our economy–a dangerous and precarious place for us to be from a national security perspective.
Alternative energies are gaining increased adoption in the U.S., but we have a long, long way to go.
Last August we encouraged our readers to read “The Elusive Green Economy,” from The Atlantic Monthly–if you haven’t read it yet, it’s an important and educational piece (and not a short one!). This article does an outstanding job of demonstrating the price we continue to pay as a nation by not supporting policies that make alternative energies feasible in the marketplace. During the 1980s, the collapse in oil prices made such policies a low priority in Washington. The Atlantic Monthly article does an excellent job of explaining the long term cost of those policy choices.
The downside of lower oil prices is both high carbon emissions and the massive transfer of American wealth overseas.
Journalist and author Thomas Friedman has made the promotion of environmental awareness and clean energy two of his signature causes. “We’re Gonna Be Sorry,” is Friedman’s reply to the news that the U.S. Senate will not pursue a climate/energy bill. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill last year so Senate action was the only thing separating the legislation from becoming the law of the land (the president is eager to sign it into law).
Friedman ends his column with various reports, including this one, that demonstrate the folly of inaction:
“Just as the U.S. Senate was abandoning plans for a U.S. cap-and-trade system, this article ran in The China Daily: ‘BEIJING — The country is set to begin domestic carbon trading programs during its 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015) to help it meet its 2020 carbon intensity target. . . . Putting a price on carbon is a crucial step for the country to employ the market to reduce its carbon emissions and genuinely shift to a low-carbon economy, industry analysts said.’”
It is ironic that communist China may embrace a market driven solution to that nation’s energy problems before the U.S. Like the U.S., China imports most of its oil.
We will be sorry if we don’t STAND FOR LESS and stand for more sensible policies from our leaders. California, as is often the case, is ahead of the curve in this effort. An initiative will be on this fall’s ballot to delay implementation of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
This would be much less likely to occur and the arguments in favor of delay would have less relevance if the U.S. would adopt a sensible national policy regarding climate change and energy.
Merchant asserts that “the clearer the science gets on climate change, the easier it is for the public to digest it, the more willing our politicians will be to address the issue head-on.” We hope this is true!
Here in California we are leaders when it comes addressing climate change. Governor Schwarzenegger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act into law in 2006.
The fact of the matter is, safe or not, we must talk about climate change, energy policy, and other pressing issues regarding our use–and all too often overuse–of natural resources.
A few days ago, utilizing sarcasm and dark humor, the following tweet came through from @BPGlobalPR: “Keep in mind, the more your interest in the oil spill wanes, the less damage the oil does. #outofsightoutofmind #day67.”
Whether the issue is the oil spill or global warming: Out of sight out of mind indeed!
This post originally appeared on our site on June 23, 2009. We are republishing it because Tickell’s film “Fuel” will be released June 22, 2010 on DVD. This is a timely movie given the situation in the Gulf of Mexico and our continued dependence on petroleum.
Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell taking a STAND FOR LESS.
We met Josh Tickell at Street Smart San Diego where he was a featured speaker. Tickell is an author, filmmaker, and champion of alternative fuels. He wrote the book Biodiesel America. He also wrote and directed the Sundance award-winning film titled “Fuel.”
We encourage you to read his book and watch his film. He is an elegant writer and speaker. His research is thorough and he masterfully explains technical issues in an engaging way that the average person can understand. If you missed him at Street Smart San Diego you can get a quick introduction to Tickell by watching this short video:
A few days after we met him, Tickell was named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for his work promoting alternative fuel sources.
Irene Stillings from the California Center for Sustainable Energy wakes up every day with one burning question: “How are we going to achieve a more sustainable energy future?”
Get out. Take a deep breath of fresh air. Stretch your legs. Leave behind your cell phone. Take your dog, your best friend or simply yourself. Go to the coast or find a mountain trail.
This is California. Your hiking choices are practically endless. It’s easy to find a spectacular place to go, to step outside of your civilized life.
When we are out of our cars, our offices, and our homes we can take in the feeling nature with all of our senses. In those moments especially, it’s easy to remember why it is important to STAND FOR LESS use of natural resources.
We STAND FOR LESS for a healthier world today and a sustainable world tomorrow.
Jacy Bolden stands for natural lighting inside of the model city hall in Encinitas.
One reason San Diego County was chosen for the innovative STAND FOR LESS campaign is the many leaders in the public and private sectors who are already taking a stand for sustainability. One example is the county’s leadership in the adoption of solar electricity. Encinitas, a coastal community of 60,000, uses solar electricity as well as many other innovations on its model city hall.
Last week, Encinitas proclaimed itself a STAND FOR LESS city. Mayor Maggie Houlihan read the proclamation and presented it to Bridgett Luther, Director of the California Department of Conservation, which organized the collaboration of state and local partners promoting STAND FOR LESS. After the ceremony, Luther took a tour of Encinitas City Hall, a model of green construction and standing for less resource use.
The natural lighting is one of the first improvements highlighted on the tour. To cut down on electrical use, skylights and solar tubes were used liberally throughout the building. In addition to using fewer resources, natural lighting creates a pleasant atmosphere for workers and visitors.
The building itself is worthy of note. Rather than tearing down the existing structure, and starting from scratch, the city chose to update and retrofit it with green features. This decision alone meant fewer resources were needed for construction. The building was built in the 1960s and was originally used as a strip mall.
Installing solar panels may be one of the more exciting enhancements. City Hall now has a 96.4 kW photovoltaic system. The solar panels handle about 38 percent of the building’s energy needs. Solar electricity isn’t the only new feature on the roof. The city installed a 50,000 square foot reflective cool roof that counters the urban heat island effect and cuts down on energy needs. City Hall also replaced most of its old heating and cooling units with a new energy efficient system.
The cost of the project was $3.5 million, however, it will save the city $4.3 million over 25 years due to increased efficiencies.
Beavan decided to eliminate his personal impact on the environment for a year. This meant eating vegetarian, buying only local food, turning off the refrigerator, no elevators, no television, no cars, busses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage.
No problem – at least for Colin – but he and his family live in Manhattan. So when his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray, the No Impact Project has an unforeseen impact of its own.
Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides an intriguing inside look into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, while examining the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin and Michelle’s struggle with their radical lifestyle change.
No Impact Man will be in San Diego on October 2, 2009. Visit the No Impact Man Web site for more information.
San Diego County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price and Bridgett Luther of the CDOC.
The STAND FOR LESS campaign is innovative because of the diverse interests that it brings together.
California Department of Conservation Director Luther, representing the State of California, works hard to include city governments, county governments, businesses, non-profits and average citizens in the conversation for conservation.
Luther is passionate about passing on a healthier California to the next generation and she works tirelessly every day toward that goal.
This morning she met members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Kirei’s Teresa Cooney relaxes in a chair that incorporates Kirei Board at the company’s Solana Beach headquarters.
STAND FOR LESS recently sat down with Teresa Cooney of Kirei to discuss sustainable building materials.
Solana Beach-based Kirei is the national distributor of a several lines of products that are made from rapidly renewable or reclaimed agricultural fibers.
Kirei embodies the spirit of STAND FOR LESS and the company’s innovative products have been noticed on a national level. Treehugger, a leading green Web site, has written several articles on Kirei, including one this July titled: “Kirei Board: A Radical Material with a Big Impact.” The Kirei web site includes links to dozens of stories that have been written about their innovative products.
Product lines from Kirei include:
Kirei Board—made from a minimum of 90% sorghum straw, a material that is an agricultural byproduct. Kirei Bamboo—made from 90% renewable material, the fast growing moso bamboo. Kirei Wheatboard—made from 90% wheat straw, an agricultural byproduct. Kirei Coco Tiles—made from 30-40% coconut shells, an agricultural byproduct.
Kirei has garnered so much attention because its products are beautiful. Architects and designers are increasingly demanding green construction materials. LEED is a set of green building standards developed by the US Green Building Council. Kirei products help with your LEED certification efforts by earning LEED credits.
Visit kireiusa.com for more photos and information.
Kirei Board is a versatile product used to make furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and in other applications. This image shows a home in Del Mar with Kirei Board used as a wall covering.
Beth Rolls Mathewson of SDG&E was at the CCSE Sustainability Fair talking about smart meters.
When you read about energy these days you hear words like sustainable, clean, and smart. STAND FOR LESS partner SDG&E is heavily involved in all of those areas.
One simple, yet important, innovation that is underway is the wholesale upgrading of our region’s electricity and gas meters with smart meters. These new meters allow two way communications between homes and businesses and SDG&E. This sounds like a simple change, and it is, but it has profound implications.
By giving consumers more detailed information about their utility usage patterns, they are significantly more likely to reduce consumption. This is especially important during times of peak demand. The smart meters also help the utility company identify problems much quicker and waste little time troubleshooting outages—this alone saves an immense amount of time, money, and resources.
The new smart meters that SDG&E are installing will also work with smart appliances like your thermostat and other devices at your home and business.
It’s all part of the energy revolution that is badly needed as we STAND FOR LESS energy use.
Irene Stillings from the California Center for Sustainable Energy wakes up every day with one burning question: “How are we going to achieve a more sustainable energy future?”
