A single vote WILL make a difference.

I have received (and continue to receive) a deluge of election-related emails. But I thought that this one - which I received from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund this AM - was particularly worth a re-print.

Please vote in this election.



Dear Nicole,

Dirtier air. More dirty energy. Greater dependence on our enemies' oil. Fewer new jobs.

That could be the result of the 2010 midterm elections - if you don't vote on November 2nd.

Up and down the ballot, in hundreds of electoral contests in all 50 states, our health, security and economy are threatened by anti-environmental, anti-science and anti-climate candidates.

Many of these contests will be extremely, extremely close. An unprecedented number of congressional races have been rated "toss-ups." But if enough of us show up at the polls, we can stop the wave of climate deniers who threaten to take over our state and federal governments.

The danger is more widespread than you think:

* Not a single one of the 37 Republican Senate candidates supports action against global warming - even though clean energy reforms could bring more than 1.9 million new jobs by 2020.

* A number of congressional candidates who voted for the landmark climate law -- The American Clean Energy and Security Act-- are threatened in races that could be decided by a handful of votes.

* More than 750 congressional and state legislative candidates have signed on to support the anti-climate agenda of Americans for Prosperity -- a corporate front group funded by the oil billionaire Koch brothers.

Close-minded anti-environmentalists don't represent the will of the people. Numerous polls and studies have overwhelmingly showed that the majority of Americans support policies to keep our air and water clean, our food safe and to transition our nation to clean energy.

But the other side has benefited from an unprecedented deluge of money from oil and coal interests and the shadowy front groups they help support. Hundreds of anti-environmental candidates who have turned their back on science could be elected if people like you don't turn out to vote.

Your vote, and the vote of millions of others like you, is our best defense from this attack. And every single vote will make a difference. Remember how close things were in 2000? Many races this year are likely to be won by small margins and recounts. Our nation is depending on you on November 2nd. Make a plan, and cast your vote at your nearest polling place.



Thanks for supporting environmental sanity in these deeply troubling times.

Sincerely,


Peter Lehner
Executive Director
NRDC Action Fund



Not sure if you know who the "clean energy" candidates are? Check out the League of Conservation Voter's endorsements here. For state specific info, click on "State LCVs" on the top right hand corner of the page.

Your Health Just Isn't Worth it :: new PSA from NRDC

So funny! This was definitely filmed in DC ... makes me smile:)



NRDC placed the ad on the Politico, Colbert Report & The Daily Show websites.

The PSA was created in reaction to the American Petroleum Institute's campaign against raising taxes on oil & gas companies.

You can participate in NRDC's campaign on this issue here, by sending an email to your Members of Congress.

US Senate Climate Bill - Cheat Sheet :: If you support US Climate Change Legislation then Call your Senators Today.

Received this in an email from Ocean Champions this AM:

Yesterday, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) released their version of a Climate Bill, called the American Power Act.

The bill is "balanced" to improve its chances, but by setting a path to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop renewable energy, it still represents a paradigm shift that would promote healthier oceans, drive economic and job growth and enable independence from foreign oil.

What we like:
* It mandates a 17% reduction in carbon pollution from 2005 levels by 2020, 42% by 2030 and 83% by 2050. Not as fast as many would like, but in line with the Climate Change bill (Waxman-Markey) passed by the US House of Representatives last year.

* It sets a price for carbon, with a $12 floor and a $25 ceiling (with each set to grow over time), which will improve investment in renewable energy.

* It allows carbon trading, but by a limited set of entities on a regulated exchange, allowing market forces to create pricing efficiency while limiting speculation.


What we don't like:
* It pre-empts states from implementing mandatory greenhouse gas reductions.

* It restricts the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

* Like the House Bill, it has the USDA, not the EPA regulating agriculture offsets.

* The biggest flaw - it doesn't ban new offshore drilling; disappointing, but not surprising, given national politics. (In response to the BP oil spill, the bill was changed to give "impacted" states the right to veto oil drilling plans of neighboring states, and allow states to veto any drilling within 75 miles off their coast.)


I also like (and trust) the Natural Resource Defense Council's analysis of the bill.

One of today's New York Times stories about the bill talks about "next steps".

If you support the concept of US climate change legislation (however imperfect the draft bill that Senators Kerry and Lieberman released yesterday may be), then please call your US Senators with the simple message - "pass the Kerry-Lieberman climate change bill." The Capitol Hill main switchboard number is 202.224.3121. Give the operator the name of your US Senator and ask to be transfered to their office.

Cooperation After Copenhagen: Climate Change & World (Dis)Order - Yale Campus, March 2

If I was still in the NYC area ...

Cooperation After Copenhagen: Climate Change & World (Dis)Order

Tuesday March 2nd, 4:15pm

Room 129, Yale Law School's Sterling law building, 127 Wall St, New Haven, CT



A panel discussion with:

Moderator: Doug Kysar, Yale Law School

Panelists:
* Ambassador Phillip Muller and Caleb Christopher, UN Mission of the Marshall Islands
* David Doniger, Natural Resources Defense Council
* Dan Esty, Yale Law School
* Steven Ferrey, Suffolk University

International climate change negotiations are in disarray. Criticism against the scientific practices of the IPCC has mounted, the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this past December became a "snarling, aggravated, chaotic event" (in the words of U.S. lead negotiator Todd Stern), and recently the head of the UNFCCC announced that he will step down in a move widely perceived to reflect the insider's dim outlook for upcoming negotiation meetings. Against this tumultuous backdrop, speakers from a variety of perspectives and areas of expertise will discuss the present state and likely future of international climate change regulation.

This lecture is free and open to the public.

This lecture is sponsored by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and the Yale Environmental Law Association.

Enter the 2010 Social Venture Network Innovation Awards Competition :: Apps Due April 15

Organized by Utne, the goal of the Awards program is to recognize the leaders of emerging enterprises, bring them into the SVN community, and give them access to a network of 500 successful socially responsible business and nonprofit leaders, investors, and other resources and connections that can help them achieve success with their own enterprise.


2010 SVN Innovation Award recipients will each receive:

* 2011 SVN Membership: A one-year complimentary 2011 SVN basic membership, giving each Innovation Award winner access to an inspiring community of socially responsible business leaders who can provide advice, introductions and resources.

* 2010 Fall Conference: Complimentary registration, travel and hotel, and special recognition during a Friday evening Awards Ceremony at SVN's Fall Conference to be held again at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey, October 21-24.
Promotion: Prominent recognition on SVN's website for a full year, and recognition in their Stakeholder Report.

* Press: Winners will be featured in a 6-page spread in the November/December 2010 issue of Utne Reader, as well as promoted on Care2.com and GreenBiz.com.


Eligibility:

To be eligible for the Awards, applicants must currently hold positions as C-level executives (CEOs, executive directors, founders, etc.). The Awards are open only to entrants whose organization (company or nonprofit) has been fully operational for more than 6 months but less than 5 years as of April 15, 2010. “Fully Operational” within the SVN Innovation Awards context means that the organization has already started offering its services, products or programs to its intended customers. Applications submitted on behalf of an organization that is still in the business plan phase, or that is still in the process of launching but has not actually launched, will not be considered.

Applicants must be based in the US or Canada, not including Quebec.

More details and application here, as well as info about the 2009 winners.

In 2009 SVN recognized D.light Design, co-founded by Sam Goldman and Ned Tozun. These guys seem to be EVERYWHERE!

D.light Design is an international consumer products company that serves customers without access to reliable electricity. The mission of D.light is to enable households without reliable electricity to attain the same quality of life as those with electricity, beginning with replacing every kerosene lantern with clean, safe, and bright light. D.light has sold tens of thousands of solar lanterns, providing bright light to over 300,000 individuals in India, East Africa, and around the world.



If this topic interests you then check out this Natural Resources Defense Council "On Earth" magazine article "India, Enlightened" from the Summer 2009 issue. The article had a huge impact on me.

This is Our Moment

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released this today:



Take action on US Senate climate change legislation here.

Ah, the Sweet Smell of Chemicals

Here are some excerpts from an email I received today from Sheryl Eisenberg at the Natural Resources Defense Council. I added the Axe ad.

Walking into my teenage son's room the other day, I nearly gagged. No, it wasn't the smell of unwashed clothes or half-eaten food that got me. It was the opposite problem—air freshener. His own personal can.

Like many young people, my son has been conditioned to expect everything to have an aggressively pleasant, artificial smell.

It's a mark of the times. From fabric softener to garbage bags, and moisturizer to lip gloss, today's household and personal care products are perfumed. Cleanser companies encourage us to choose their products based on scent rather than cleaning properties. Personal care items are advertised as fashion statements. The deodorant made by Secret is promoted, literally, as a form of self-expression.



To me, it's absurd, but I'd say "to each his own" if it were just a question of fashion. Unfortunately, it's also a matter of health.

An individual fragrance may be made with dozens if not hundreds of synthetic chemicals and need not be cleared for safety before going to market.

Not only doesn't government require safety testing. It doesn't require that the ingredients in fragrances be identified on product labels. The ingredients are protected as trade secrets.

A 2007 study of air fresheners by NRDC found phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) in 12 of 14 brand-name products NRDC tested, including some marketed as "all-natural" or "unscented." Phthalates are endocrine disruptors that can cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects and reproductive problems. None of the air fresheners tested listed phthalates on its label.

Similar results were found in a 2002 study of cosmetics by a coalition of environmental and public health organizations.

Other hazardous chemicals in fragrances include volatile organic compounds, some of which are carcinogenic and cause neurotoxic and respiratory effects. Another class of chemicals of concern is synthetic musks, which, according to preliminary research, may be endocrine disruptors, like phthalates.

For reasons that are not yet well understood, fragrances also seem to trigger allergic-like reactions in certain people. People with MCS may experience headaches, nausea, confusion, abdominal pain and a host of other symptoms when exposed to common chemicals.

What do to about this? Eliminate or cut back on your use of scented products, especially if you are of childbearing age.

* Avoid air fresheners. Open the windows instead.

* Use water, white vinegar and baking soda for routine cleaning jobs. If soap is needed, try castile soap.

* Look up fragrance-free products and homemade alternatives in the Guide to Less Toxic Products.

* Check Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's cosmetic safety database, to see if your favorite personal care products are safe and to find safer alternatives.

* Make sure the words "fragrance" or "parfum" do not appear in the ingredient list of cosmetics.

* Use fewer cosmetics and reduce or eliminate your use of perfume.

Do not rely on product claims of being "unscented" or "fragrance-free." A product labeled as such may still be made with fragrances.

Nor should you rely on the words "natural," "organic" or "hypoallergenic." They do not guarantee the absence of fragrance.

As to my own efforts to protect my son—I've thrown out his air freshener and forbade him to get more. Our next battlefront: deodorant.

David Doniger of NRDC Interview @ COP15

This is from last Tuesday, but I think it's still worth sharing because David Doniger, Policy Director of NRDC's Climate Center, is amazing.

Prior to this role at NRDC he served for 8 years in the Clinton administration, where he was director of climate change policy at the Environmental Protection Agency and, before that, counsel to the head of the EPA's clean air program; he also worked for a year at the Council on Environmental Quality.

In this interview, conducted by Daniel Nelson and Jeffrey Allen of "Copenhagen Live" Doniger explains the significance of the EPA's recent Endangerment Finding and other big changes underway in the US.

The interview is broken up into 3 video segments, posted below in chronological order.





"Copenhagen Live" airs live on the live video streaming site that's broadcasting from COP 15, called One Climate. Programming airs live daily through December 18th, from 12noon - 9pm. I highly recommend checking it out here. The above interview is archived footage from their web stream.