Global warming fail:

Not sure if we ran this before but this is the other side of environmental changes.  How beneficial, though, are these changes compared to risks?

Global warming fail: Study finds melting sea ice is actually helping Arctic animals

Justin Haskins 

A little auk (Alle-alle) flies near the Kronebeene glacier in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean
 
Proponents of the theory humans are primarily responsible for rising global temperatures long claimed wildlife are harmed significantly by global warming, and that unless mankind stops producing significant amounts of carbon-dioxide emissions, the world’s animals will not be able to thrive.

While rising temperatures have certainly put a strain on species in some parts of the world, a new study by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark suggests animals in the Arctic region are thriving as because of higher global temperatures.
According to a press release touting the study’s new findings, warmer conditions have produced a larger number of life-sustaining “melt ponds” in Arctic waters.

“Melt ponds provide more light and heat for the ice and the underlying water, but now it turns out that they may also have a more direct and potentially important influence on life in the Arctic waters,” stated the press release.

“Mats of algae and bacteria can evolve in the melt ponds, which can provide food for marine creatures. This is the conclusion of researchers in the periodical, Polar Biology,” the press release said.

The researchers said nutrients are able to reach sea creatures in the Arctic more easily because of the melt ponds.
“Climate change is accompanies by more storms and more precipitation, and we must expect that more nutrients will be released from the surroundings into the melt ponds,” said Professor Ronnie Glud of the Department of Biology at SDU. “These conditions, plus the fact that the distribution of areas of melt ponds is increasing, can contribute to increased productivity in plant and animal life in the Arctic seas.”

Recent data released by scientists at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center reveals sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are at their lowest recorded point since 1979, when satellite data first started estimating sea ice.

About 2 million square km of Arctic sea ice are estimated to have been lost since 1979. Current data suggest about 14.28 million square km of sea ice remain.
USA Today recently declared the loss of sea ice “terrifying,” but global warming skeptics have long suggested these claims are overblown when put into perspective.

As reported by Anthony Watts on his influential climate-change website Watts Up With That, the president of the Royal Society in London reported in 1817 significant reductions to arctic sea ice.

“It will without doubt have come to your Lordship’s knowledge that a considerable change of climate, inexplicable at present to us, must have taken place in the Circumpolar Regions, by which the severity of the cold that has for centuries past enclosed the seas in the high northern latitudes in an impenetrable barrier of ice has been during the last two years, greatly abated. … this affords ample proof that new sources of warmth have been opened and give us leave to hope that the Arctic Seas may at this time be more accessible than they have been for centuries past, and that discoveries may now be made in them not only interesting to the advancement of science but also to the future intercourse of mankind and the commerce of distant nations.”

How Electrical Contractors Can Benefit from the Smart Home Market/Energy Central

We are constantly on the look out for evidence of job growth around the green economy.  Here's an example of transformation providing an impetus to growth with electrical contractors.

The smart home market is ready to explode.  Homeowners have been getting their feet wet on smaller investments in efficiency and some renewables.  Given their experience is generally good, we believe they will take a deeper dive into smart tech, including battery storage and high end management systems.  The returns are compelling and will draw compounding investments.

Your willingness to jump in and fashion your home around smart tech will help dictate overall growth rates:

Smart technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) are enveloping the world in interconnectivity, and this is especially true in regard to smart homes and home automation. This year alone, $30.5 billion will be spent on smart home automation services as opposed to $8.1 billion in 2012, a 276 percent growth rate. In addition, the amount expected to be spent on smart home hardware this year is $41.3 billion.

There will be 10 smart home devices per household by 2020, and most homeowners, 66 percent, would prefer that their systems are installed by a professional installer according to Frost & Sullivan, a business consulting and research firm. Also, 71 percent of homeowners would sacrifice one feature of their home for smart home automation according to consumer research firm Loxone.

This means that there’s a large and growing opportunity for electrical contractors to sell, maintain, and install smart home and home automation systems. As a result, they’ll enjoy new revenue streams stemming from the enhanced services they can offer customers. WISE offers IoT-enabled smart technology solutions that electrical contractors can provide to their customers that will enable them to lower their electricity bill, shrink their carbon footprint, and automate their lifestyles for greater convenience.

Types of smart home systems electrical contractors can install

This is good for smart home customers too because electrical contractors are in the best position to professionally sell, install, and maintain smart home systems. Electrical contractors have a deep understanding of the technology when compared to DIY-ers, are up-to-date with relevant industry trends, and know how to integrate smart home systems for greater ease and convenience to homeowners. Here are some of the home automation systems that electrical contractors are currently able to provide to their customers:

Smart security systems – These systems allow homeowners to control keypads, locks, lights, cameras, motion sensors, and other aspects of home security remotely. Customers can also pre-program security controls so that their home will always be secure without them having to remember to turn on alarms or even lock the door. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can also be integrated to give you instant alerts the moment a dangerous situation arises.

Smart lighting systems – A home’s lighting can be programmed to automatically brighten or dim depending on the time of day or whether a person enters or exits a room. Customers can  also monitor and control their smart lighting system’s energy usage throughout the to lower electric bills and reduce their carbon footprint.

Smart entertainment systems – Consumers can control home entertainment such as movies, music, and shopping all through centralized smart hubs in their home. They can also integrate smart pools, hot tubs, and saunas to make the most efficient use of energy for each.

Smart energy systems – Homeowners can monitor and control their home’s energy usage and store energy from the grid to use later. They can also combine these systems with renewables such as solar to minimize their dependence on the grid. As a result, they’ll lower their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time.

The smart home market will continue to grow, and so will the opportunities for electrical contractors who sell, install, and maintain IoT-enabled smart home devices. Those who capitalize on this opportunity will be at an advantage over those that don’t.

For more information, visit WillCoEnergy.com.

VOLUNTEER FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOLAR DECATHLON 2017

Let's see you get out there:

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is not possible without the time and commitment of hundreds of volunteers. Their work supports and celebrates the remarkable student teams that bring their solar-powered houses and passion to the Solar Decathlon.

If you are interested in being a volunteer for Solar Decathlon 2017 in Denver, Colorado, explore the links below. If you have additional questions, please contact the Volunteer Team.

Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops

 This is a great story.  It is one that sheds a harsh light on the realty of GMO claims--they are, many times, lies.

We know the risks of GMO seeds.  There's been claims of benefits.  As shown here, those  advantages--including resilience to pests, efficiency around water and higher crop yields--are not proving out.

Use of GMO crops in the US has, in fact, intensified our use of pesticides.  That brings financial and environmental losses.  Time to rethink our food production system.

Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops

By DANNY HAKIM
 

Arnaud Rousseau, a sixth-generation farmer in France, in a field of rapeseed. Twenty years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modification at the same time the United States and Canada were embracing it. Credit Ed Alcock for The New York Times

LONDON — The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to eat.

But an extensive examination by The New York Times indicates that the debate has missed a more basic problem — genetic modification in the United States and Canada has not accelerated increases in crop yields or led to an overall reduction in the use of chemical pesticides.

The promise of genetic modification was twofold: By making crops immune to the effects of weedkillers and inherently resistant to many pests, they would grow so robustly that they would become indispensable to feeding the world’s growing population, while also requiring fewer applications of sprayed pesticides.

Twenty years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modification at the same time the United States and Canada were embracing it. Comparing results on the two continents, using independent data as well as academic and industry research, shows how the technology has fallen short of the promise.

OPEN Graphic

An analysis by The Times using United Nations data showed that the United States and Canada have gained no discernible advantage in yields — food per acre — when measured against Western Europe, a region with comparably modernized agricultural producers like France and Germany. Also, a recent National Academy of Sciences report found that “there was little evidence” that the introduction of genetically modified crops in the United States had led to yield gains beyond those seen in conventional crops.

At the same time, herbicide use has increased in the United States, even as major crops like corn, soybeans and cotton have been converted to modified varieties. And the United States has fallen behind Europe’s biggest producer, France, in reducing the overall use of pesticides, which includes both herbicides and insecticides.

One measure, contained in data from the United States Geological Survey, shows the stark difference in the use of pesticides. Since genetically modified crops were introduced in the United States two decades ago for crops like corn, cotton and soybeans, the use of toxins that kill insects and fungi has fallen by a third, but the spraying of herbicides, which are used in much higher volumes, has risen by 21 percent.

By contrast, in France, use of insecticides and fungicides has fallen by a far greater percentage — 65 percent — and herbicide use has decreased as well, by 36 percent.

Profound differences over genetic engineering have split Americans and Europeans for decades. Although American protesters as far back as 1987 pulled up prototype potato plants, European anger at the idea of fooling with nature has been far more sustained. In the last few years, the March Against Monsanto has drawn thousands of protesters in cities like Paris and Basel, Switzerland, and opposition to G.M. foods is a foundation of the Green political movement. Still, Europeans eat those foods when they buy imports from the United States and elsewhere.

In Rowland, N.C., a worker loads G.M. corn seed into a planting machine on Bo Stone’s farm. Mr. Stone values genetic modifications to reduce his insecticide use. Credit Jeremy M. Lange for The New York Times

Fears about the harmful effects of eating G.M. foods have proved to be largely without scientific basis. The potential harm from pesticides, however, has drawn researchers’ attention. Pesticides are toxic by design — weaponized versions, like sarin, were developed in Nazi Germany — and have been linked to developmental delays and cancer.

“These chemicals are largely unknown,” said David Bellinger, a professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health, whose research has attributed the loss of nearly 17 million I.Q. points among American children 5 years old and under to one class of insecticides. “We do natural experiments on a population,” he said, referring to exposure to chemicals in agriculture, “and wait until it shows up as bad.”

The industry is winning on both ends — because the same companies make and sell both the genetically modified plants and the poisons. Driven by these sales, the combined market capitalization of Monsanto, the largest seed company, and Syngenta, the Swiss pesticide giant, have grown more than sixfold in the last decade and a half. The two companies are separately involved in merger agreements that would lift their new combined values to more than $100 billion each.

When presented with the findings, Robert T. Fraley, the chief technology officer at Monsanto, said The Times had cherry-picked its data to reflect poorly on the industry. “Every farmer is a smart businessperson, and a farmer is not going to pay for a technology if they don’t think it provides a major benefit,” he said. “Biotech tools have clearly driven yield increases enormously.”

New ‘roll transfer process’ to speeds up micro LED production

Continued progress on LED side: 




Researchers of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) have developed a new technology to to facilitate the mass transfer process of micro LED manufacturing.
The mass transfer process of micro LED is the most challenging method during the production of micro LED. Manufacturers are looking for a simplier efficient process to carry a large amount of micro LED chips and lay them all on a substrate. KIMM, under the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, is the the first institution in the world to find a ‘roll transfer process’ that, it claims, would speed up the mass transfer process, and would make commercialization of micro LED easier, reports Business Korea.
Also Read: Transfer technology is a bottleneck for micro LED mass production
The micro LED displays produced by Nano Applied Mechanics Team at KIMM featured a luminous efficacy that is three times higher than that of conventional LED displays. When these displays are powered they needed only 50% of the energy required by a traditional LED display.
Also Read: Micro-LED market to be worth $19,921.3 million by 2025
This new technology will simplify the mass transfer process of micro LED and speed up the mass display production. Currently, equipment used for manufacturing micro LED can mount a very limited micro LEDs on a substrate per second. The new roll transfer technology would enable about 10,000 chips to be transferred per second.
KIMM has been granted a patent for the roll-to-roll transfer process. They have discovered that instead of directly placing micro LEDs onto the substrate, first a thin film transistor (TFT) can be put on the substrate and then placed micro LEDs can be placed on the TFT element. An active matrix type of micro LED display can then be completed.
According to Market and Market, the micro LED market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 54.7% from US$ 250 million in 2017 to US$ 19.92 billion in 2025. The display sector is expected to account for 98% of the total micro LED market in 2025.

For Today's Show/Compassion in World Farming

Join us live today at 1p, ET as we talk with their CEO, Philip Lymbery:

Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 in England by a British farmer who became horrified by the development of intensive factory farming. Over 40 years ago he decided to make a difference and take a stand against this farming system. In his lifetime, Peter Roberts saw the demise of veal crates and gestation crates in the UK, and in Europe achieved recognition that animals are sentient beings and secured a ban on the barren battery cage and gestation crates for sows (except for the period up to four weeks into pregnancy).

Today at Compassion in World Farming, we campaign peacefully on a global level, to end all cruel factory farming practices. We believe that the biggest cause of cruelty on the planet deserves a focused, specialized approach – so we only work on farm animal welfare.

Our US office is based in Atlanta, Georgia and is headed up by our US Executive Director, Leah Garces.

Campaigning to end factory farming

Compassion has recently expanded its advocacy to include all areas that are detrimentally impacted by factory farming, including: animals, the environment, public health, and community and workers’ justice.

Compassion USA is dedicated to reforming a broken food and farming system and introducing a more humane, fair, and sustainable one. Our vision is a world where farm animals are treated with compassion and respect.

95% of all factory farmed animals in the US are chickens raised for meat (also known as broilers), negatively affecting nearly 9 billion animals per year. That is why Compassion USA has set out to tackle this key area with our flagship campaign, the Better Chicken Initiative. We will continue to work throughout the US to reform what we see as one of the most pressing issues of our time.

Our achievements

We are immensely proud of what we have achieved for farm animals in the US and all over the world, thanks to the help of our supporters who make these initiatives possible:

Food Business Program

Compassion in World Farming’s Food Business Team works with some of the world’s biggest food companies to help establish policies that improve the lives of animals in their supply chain. More and more companies are acknowledging consumer demand for higher animal welfare standards— from ditching cages for egg-laying hens to removing gestation crates for mother pigs to improving living conditions for broiler chickens. Recent progress includes:

• Securing cage-free egg policies from top restaurant chains (including McDonald’s, Panera, and Taco Bell), supermarkets (including Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and Publix), and food service companies (including Sodexo and Compass)
• Developing commitments for better living conditions and slower-growth genetics for broiler chickens from producers like Perdue and retailers like Whole Foods Market.

Read more about progress from food businesses >>

Advocacy Campaigns

Factory farming harms animals, our health, the environment, and farmers and farm workers. Through our advocacy campaigns, Compassion USA works to raise awareness of the impacts of factory farming, and encourage consumers to demand better. The movement is gaining momentum. Our campaigns have reached over 100 million people and counting:

• We are the only animal welfare organization forging unlikely partnerships with factory farm owners who want to speak out against injustices in the animal agriculture industry.
• Empowering consumers to achieve more honest food labels and access to better food options continues to be a key part of our campaigns.
• Our campaigns have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, National Geographic, HBO's Last Week Tonight, and many more.

Read more about our campaigns >>

Encouraging and Rewarding Progress

When top food companies commit to meaningful change, they pave the way for others to follow. We're proud to recognize leaders in the food industry creating a better world for farm animals. We also benchmark food businesses on their transparency and animal welfare policies to encourage progress.

• Since 2007, our Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards have highlighted companies committed to establishing higher welfare standards in their global supply chains.
• Compassion in World Farming is a founding member of the Business Benchmark for Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), the world’s leading measure of company performance on farm animal welfare and transparency. Our ratings drive corporate decision-making and have inspired change within some of the world’s biggest companies.
• Top food industry investors are taking note that consumers care about animal welfare. In a groundbreaking letter, 18 institutional investors recently pledged to take farm animal welfare and transparency policies into account when analyzing food companies.

New Solar Wind Hybrid Systems Hold Potential to Provide Reliable and Continuous Power Supply, Evolving Industry Trends and Insights by 2023

This is exactly what we've been reporting on.  These hybrid systems are unlocking the energy future for all the world.  Great advancements and story:



A solar wind hybrid power system is an especially efficient solution as it comprises a battery to accumulate the energy generated via a wind mill as well as a solar energy panel. Owing to the increasing concerns about climate change, nations around the world are focusing on availing alternative energy sources to sustain their energy needs for the future. As issues about power and energy supply continue to increase, businesses cannot overlook the importance of accepting renewable energy solutions and clean energy initiatives to assure a maintainable source of energy supply in the near future.

Get PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:http://bit.ly/2tTRDux

One of the major needs for the efficient economic development of a country is continuous and reliable power supply. Across the world, fossil fuel reserves are reducing at a rapid pace. Currently, the majority of demand for energy is met by fossil fuels. A small portion of the demand is primarily met by the renewable energy technologies such as wind, geothermal, solar, and biomass. With a fuel shortage imminent, renewable energy is the way ahead. Over the past few years, solar and wind power sources have experienced rapid growth because they’re renewable and comprise abundant power.

Styrofoam-eating mealworms

Wow, this is great news.  Now, how do we develop a business plan around this discovery?

Styrofoam-eating mealworms might help reduce plastic waste, study finds

By Jareen Imam

It's mealtime for these mealworms, which researchers have found are able to eat Styrofoam. The waste they produce from these dubious snacks is biodegradable.

Story highlights

• New research shows that mealworms can eat Styrofoam
• The gut bacteria in these worms can transform plastic into safe biodegradable waste

(CNN)Plastic, long considered nonbiodegradable and one of the biggest contributors to global pollution, might have met its match: The small, brownish, squirmy mealworm.


Researchers have learned that the mealworm can live on a diet of Styrofoam and other types of plastic.

Inside the mealworm's gut are microorganisms that are able to biodegrade polyethylene, a common form of plastic, according to new studies published in Environmental Science and Technology by co-authors Professor Jun Yang and his doctorate student Yu Yang of Beihang University, and Stanford University engineer Wei-Min Wu.

"The findings are revolutionary. This is one of the biggest breakthroughs in environmental science in the past 10 years," Wu said in an interview with CNN.

He added that the findings could help solve the plastic pollution problem affecting the world.


The research documented 100 mealworms that consumed 34 to 39 milligrams of Styrofoam, which is about the weight of a pill, every day. Scientists also paid attention to the mealworms' overall health and saw larvae that ate a diet subsisting strictly of Styrofoam were as healthy as mealworms eating a normal diet of bran.

Researchers found that mealworms transformed the plastic they ate into carbon dioxide, worm biomass and biodegradable waste. This waste seemed safe to use in soil for plants and even crops, the studies said.

Being able to find insects that can safely degrade plastic is critical to potential pollution management because other insects such as cockroaches can also consume plastic, but they have not shown biodegradation, Wu said.

Here's the magic: An efficient gut

"The most important part is understanding that the mealworm's gut is so efficient in degrading plastic," he said. "The bacteria is essential." When researchers fed mealworms antibiotics and then plastic, that plastic was not degraded.

"The mealworm's gut environment is very important," he said.

The hope is that by understanding the mechanisms inside the mealworm's gut, scientists and engineers can create either new ways of degrading plastic waste or find new ways to produce plastic that can easily be biodegraded.


Mealworms, which are the larvae form of the darkling beetle, are common insects that can be found in many pet stores in the United States. They also aren't the only insects to have plastic degrading properties. Waxworms, the larvae of Indian mealmoths, can chew, eat and digest the plastic that is used to make garbage bags.

With new evidence of the mealworm's plastic-eating capabilities, scientists plan to study whether the microorganisms living inside the worm's gut can breakdown polypropylene, another form of plastic used to make things such as certain car parts, textiles and microbeads.

With the United States producing about 33 million tons of plastic every year, with less than 10% being recycled, the humble mealworm could help offer a solution to the mounting waste created by people.

But even if mealworms can help with plastic waste management, Wu said it's not a substitution for recycling.

"We need to be better at recycling. We shouldn't waste plastic anywhere," he said.

Newer, not better/Down to Earth

Here's a great story on India's struggle to make dramatic changes in commercial centers to reduce pollution levels. They, like everyone else, has reams of data, but no always the resources and will to cut emissions.

Perhaps you are in the same quandary...well educated on you carbon footprint, but not equipped, for some reason, to make better choices.  Transformation takes will and investment.  Those investments are reaping huge dividends.  

Whether politics, lack of knowledge or sparse seed capital, the world is sitting on lots of potential improvements around sustainability waiting for the right time or place.

While India announces a new formula to assess pollution levels in industrial clusters, it shies away from addressing the core problem of how to prevent an area from getting polluted



A power plant in Singrauli area in Uttar Pradesh. Singrauli has been a critically polluted area since 1989 (Photo: Meeta Ahlawat)

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is all set to monitor over 100 polluted industrial areas in India using a new formula. A revised version of the existing comprehensive environmental pollution index (CEPI), the formula is, however, unlikely to help clean the polluting clusters. The reason: the issue was never with the formula, but with the agency’s failure to penalise the polluting industries. As a result, the polluting clusters continue to flourish.

In 1989, CPCB for the first time identified 24 critically polluting areas (CPAs). It then rolled out a slew of measures to arrest the pollution levels. In 2009, it came up with another CPA list, using the CEPI formula. By then, the number of industrial areas in the list had gone up to 43. The new list also had 18 of the CPAs identified in 1989, suggesting things had worsened in the 20 years despite the anti-pollution measures.

Similarly, it has been nearly eight years since CEPI was introduced, yet no significant improvement is seen in the pollution level of the CPAs. In 2010, CPCB put a blanket ban on expansion and new industrial setups in all the 43 CPAs. But within a year, the ban was lifted because of pressure from industry lobbies. “CEPI did not bring significant change as the ban was removed without any improvement on ground,” says Rohit Prajapati, an environmental activist from Gujarat. He adds that top CPAs such as Vapi and Ankleshwar in Gujarat are as polluted today as before. 

“The monitoring authority did not involve local stakeholders to understand the improvement on ground and just believed the action plan and reports of the industries, which are normally cooked up,” says Prajapati. His allegations are not unfounded. Currently, just four of the 43 CPAs are banned from any further expansion of industry and industrial setups and they are not even the most polluting ones in the list.

While Ankleshwar, the most polluting CPA in the 2009 list, continues to operate with a pollution score of 80.93 in 2013, Jodhpur, which has the CPA ban on expansion, had a pollution score of 78. Meanwhile, Vapi, the second-worst CPA in 2009, has today become more polluted than Ankleshwar at 85.31 per cent (see ‘It keeps on getting worse’).

Even the current revisions to the formula have been introduced because of the industry lobby, which has criticised CEPI for being “subjective” in its assessment. In the revised formula, indicators such as evidence of adverse impact on people and eco-geological features have been removed because the information on these issues was collected from media and research reports, and non-profits. Now, only adverse health effects of pollution will be monitored based on data collected from three to five hospitals every two years.

Core of the problem 

Experts say the government’s priority is misplaced. CEPI is just a post mortem approach, in which the authorities take notice only after an industrial area is critically polluted. The fundamental challenge is not how to monitor pollution levels better, but how to stop pollution arising in the first place. This can be done by strengthening the environmental clearance process for industrial projects.

The government should first undertake a zoning atlas study of the country involving the preparation of a district-level atlas based on administrative divisions, physical features, land, climate, environment and water quality, water availability and flow pattern. It will give the government a blueprint of where developmental works can be undertaken and how much is the pollution-absorbing capacity of these places. Based on the area’s available resources and sensitivity to pollution levels in air and water, possible and alternative sites for specific industries can be decided. Such a study was done by Puducherry in 1988.

In 1995, CPCB started a district-wise zoning atlas for the country. The programme was discontinued in 2008 because it failed to deliver due to lack of resources. “Even the states have failed in the zoning atlas study due to lack of adequate capacity,” says R P Sharma, former chief of environment and health at Tata Steel.

Happy Birthday, Mrs Green and Mrs. Green's World/RNN

Mother Nature has a best friend.  That best friend is Gina Murphy Darling of Mrs. Green's World.  And here at RNN, we are lucky enough to call her our friend as well.

Mrs Green, one of the cornerstones of the RNN radio programs, is celebrating 10 years of broadcast.  In that time she has marshaled a legion of supporters who are, everyday, making a positive difference in the world.  Her passion, boundless energy, humor and pure love inspires listeners, guests, experts, leaders across the globe.  Mrs Green walks unwaveringly into the bright lights of sustainability.

I've spent a lot of time with Mrs. Green.  In the studio, in the car driving between cities and shows, at events and on SKYPE exchanging ideas on forming  an iron-clad consensus around mastering a resilient, green economy.  I listen to her shows and read her blog.  She teaches me and forces me to rethink much of life.  There is always practical, pragmatic advise on contributing to my community and my world.  She engulfs an audience and brings that audience to their own journey of transformation and triple-bottom line choices focused on quality of life.  Everyone counts in Mrs Green's World.  It is inclusive and leads us to bonding around social and economic equity. 

 

Her tag line:  "We don't tell you what to think, we just want you to".  In essence open the doors for us and, on our own talent, to walk through.

Mrs Green, as I have learned, is a very good business person.  Her show has grown in sponsors, advertisers, listeners.  Why is that important?  Because, of course, it is the essence of what we believe and promote here--that going green brings true success.   We get leaner, more efficient, shed costs, increase our asset base and benefit greatly from the growth in this changing, digital economy.  Like everything in life, she walks the talk of investing in green because, in today's world, that is where true value lies.  She refuses to let anyone sit on the sidelines and miss this historic opportunity.

Ten years, is a long time to be a champion.  It is a long road of cajoling a reluctant world into making better choices.  It can be a grind.  But, despite the challenges, look at Mrs Green today--more vibrant, and alive than ever.  More resolute, smarter, harder working and articulate than when she started   She has not stepped down, not once.  She is climbing and she is taking us with her.  She is stirring a global fire of needed change.  Mrs Green does not put limits on dreams, ambitions, goals, aspirations or hope.  Her love is equally shared with all.   Her love, like Mother Nature's is pure, refreshing, healthy and enduring. 

 

God bless Mrs Green as she carries a heavy environmental load for the next ten years with unsurpassed glee and job.  RNN celebrates her decade of amazing accomplishments, and look forward to the remarkable milestones she will speed through with us as we give back to Mother Nature and her beautiful, enduring planet.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power/For Your Information

There is an inconvenience in facing dangers.  We all live, at least, at time, in denial.  Today, there's no time for denial.  No time for equivocating.  It is a time for action.  Let's move ahead in unison and commitment.  

More than a decade after former US Vice President Al Gore helped get millions talking about the climate crisis with An Inconvenient Truth, he returns to the big screen next week with the exciting new film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. 

An Inconvenient Sequel arrives at a critical moment in our movement’s history, as Americans fight back against an administration that prioritizes the interests of fossil fuel corporations over the health of our planet.   

The film follows Vice President Gore as he travels the world and works with scientists, activists, and ordinary citizens to build an international coalition ready to confront the greatest challenge of our time. 

We’re thrilled to share that An Inconvenient Sequel also showcases our Climate Reality Leadership Corps trainings, reminding us what can happen when regular citizens stand up and speak out to protect our shared home. 

The film will be released in New York and Los Angeles on July 28, before hitting theaters nationwide on August 4. To watch a preview of An Inconvenient Sequel, check out the trailer below.

Good News from Sierra Club on Drive Electric

There have been some exciting electric vehicle (EV)-related news items recently, including some that haven't gotten the attention they deserve. For example, when the US Conference of Mayors unanimously passed its 100% clean energy commitment recently, it included vehicle electrification components. Sierra Club's EV and Ready for 100 Campaigns created this factsheet to help activists and city officials urge their cities to make 100% clean transportation commitments. I hope you'll use it in your city. 

In global EV news, Volvo has committed to only come out with new car models by 2019 that are "electrified" in some way, though Green Car Reports' editor John Voelker provides a sobering take on that announcement. What seems truly magnifique is that France pledged to ban all diesel and gasoline vehicles by 2040, and the UK has moved to do so by 2050. 

We've published a couple of EV articles recently on Vice Impact, Huffington Post, and Sierra Club Compass that we think you'll find interesting and that we hope you'll share: 

1) Lyft Will Provide 1 Billion Autonomous Electric Car Rides Per Year By 2025 

2) Driving an Electric Car is One Way to Resist Trump's Climate Attacks