Another Green Monday
There’s plenty of time on climate change, right?
(Click here for larger image.)
That was the embarrassing message world leaders sent when they gave up on a binding climate agreement for the upcoming climate conference in Copenhagen. Blame it on our weak congress who can’t get strong enough legislation on greenhouse gases passed. Blame it on the disconnect between developed nations and developing ones for refusing a responsibility on emissions. While President Obama was in Singapore for APEC, Bryan Walsh analyzed the announcement thusly: “It's fitting, then, that some of the most significant diplomatic news coming out of APEC in Singapore was an agreement not to do something.” Just more talk, more delays. In the eyes of the rest of the world we are still viewed as the primary climate obstructer, disappointing after a quote from an Obama climate envoy, Todd Stern, surfaced in preparation for Copenhagen. “We are very glad to be back, we want to make up for lost time, and we are seized with the urgency of the task before us,” he said a year ago. While the last ten months have seen an honest shift at home in climate change solutions, the IPCC was correct in calling it “an abandonment of the moral responsibility that a position of leadership on the world stage clearly implies.”
At a town hall in China, Obama made a landmark speech on universal rights to his host country. On the freedom of individual expression and censorship, he said we “don’t believe that the principles that we stand for our unique to our nation.” But on climate change, America is unique: We are unable to deal with the reality of this urgent problem.
A call to action - help create a bi-partisan love fest. That's right - there's proposed legislation that both the left and right can get behind - and best of all, it could mean good news for farmer's markets. Our DTE colleague Craig Goodwin over at Year of Plenty writes about legislation proposed by Seattle Rep. Scott White that would, "provide a property tax exemption for church property loaned or rented to non-profit organizations that conduct a farmers market on the property." Craig provides contact information for all of our local representatives so you can let them know about this legislation, and encourage them to support it and maybe even co-sponsor it - and he also provides this thought, "Isn’t it interesting that all the downtown Spokane Reps are Democrats who typically would be supportive of things like Farmers’ Markets and local food, and all the State Reps for the more rural area to the east of downtown are Republican and would traditionally be supportive of churches and farmers. This could be a bi-partisan love fest when all is said and done." Read more HERE.
Is the University of Montana green enough? If you know anything surface-area about Missoula, you know this is a strange question to ask - but some are asking, and we think that's a good thing. Student environmental activism is growing, the university is signed on to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and as of this semester, the school is offering a Climate Change Studies Program. Seems like a lot more than some universities around here can say. But they're striving for more. Read a student's perspective of what's going on in Missoula HERE.
Idaho's Smart Grid. Thanks to a $47 million stimulus grant from the Obama administration's Department of Energy, Idaho is moving forward with several projects to help them conserve energy, become more efficient, and save money. The stimulus dollars are helping Idaho now, and setting them up to be able to better integrate alternative energy sources like wind and solar power in the future (hopefully the near future). Read more HERE.
