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April
30, 2008:
Dear
Friends,
See
the urgent message below from our climate change lobbyist, Melissa
Meehan,
from
the Florida Climate Alliance. Can you make a quick call to the
governor?
It
could make a big difference for carbon emissions in
Florida.—Sarasota Network for Climate Action
___________________
As expected, we have seen a bad amendment get slipped into the
otherwise very
good
energy bill at the last minute.
The Florida House attached an amendment to their House energy bill
that forbids DEP
from
adopting "
California
motor vehicle emission standards," unless ratified by the
Legislature.
The
amendment was adopted in the House energy bill yesterday and adopted
into the
Senate
energy bill this morning. This is an unnecessary roadblock to
implementing one of the
Gov's
key climate change initiatives and we hope that the Governor and
Senate leaders
will
remove this bad amendment. We want to see cleaner cars in
Florida
.
Time is of the essence! The bill is very close to final
passage, so it is probably too
late
to do an action alert to your members, but a quick phone call from
climate leaders
like
you right now could make a difference.
PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR TODAY and thank him for his bold leadership
on
climate
and energy issues — please ask him to remove this bad provision
from the otherwise
very
good energy bill. We want clean cars in
Florida
. http://www.flgov.com/contact
_governor
Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
House
Energy Bill:
-- Amendment 205605 by Representative Kreegel
Senate
Energy Bill:
-- Amendment 538002 by Senator Saunders (conforming amendment)
More information can be found below.
For more on the benefits for FL of adopting the Clean Cars
program,
check
out http://www.environmentflorida
.org/issues/global-warming
/cleaner-cars-for-florida.
Thank you for your hard work on climate and energy issues.
Please
note that the energy bill overall is a very good bill that will
make
Florida
a regional and national leader for climate protection.
The
bill is omnibus — with many provisions, some good and some
bad.
Overall
the good outweighs the bad, but this new roadblock for clean cars is
significant,
and
needs to be addressed.
------------------
April
9, 2008:
Save
our shores, stop global warming!
Join with your neighbors and Greenpeace and Sarasota
Network
for Climate Action at Lido Beach, 2:30 PM April 13
Global
warming is already causing rising sea levels and
Florida
is especially threatened. We're seeing changes to our
coastline
right
here on the gulf coast, as covered this week in the
St.
Pete Times -
And see for yourself how sea level rise will affect Florida
shores
in
this video by CleanEnergy.org:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=O0KB19eOP8Q
As
polar ice melts and warming water expands, rising seas
threaten
our
beaches and our homes. And nowhere is this more clear
than
on
our low-lying barrier islands.
We
can still avoid the worst impacts of rising sea levels, but it's
going
to
take real leadership. We need strong federal action to
reduce our
global
warming pollution and get us on track toward a safe climate.
Please
join us on Lido Beach for a demonstration of what rising
sea
levels
could mean if we don't take action.
Then
we'll learn where our local candidates for Congress stand on the
issue.
Congressman
Vern Buchanan and challenger Christine Jennings have been
invited
to share with us their plans to stop global warming –
come
and find out who will step up!
WHEN:
2:30 pm Sunday, April 13, 2008
WHERE: Lido Beach, in front of the pool
Please
RSVP to Joe Smyth at joe.smyth@wdc.greenpeace.org
March
28, 2008:
DEP
Secretary to Floridians: Take Part in Earth Hour 2008
--Reduce
environmental impact by turning off your lights for one hour--
TALLAHASSEE
The
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
is
encouraging Floridians to take part in Earth Hour 2008.
Earth
Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, encourages
people
to
turn off their lights for one hour, at 8:00 p.m. on March 29,
2008, to reduce
their
personal greenhouse gas emissions. One of the
easiest
ways
to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
is
through
energy conservation, said DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole.
Participating
in initiatives like Earth Hour increases awareness of our
personal
impact on the environment, and demonstrates the collective
impact
we
can have to both conserve energy and save money. Earth
Hour is a global
climate
change initiative that calls on individuals and businesses
around the
world
to turn off their lights for one hour. The aim of the campaign
is to
express
that individual action on a mass scale can help change our
planet
for
the better. More than 160,000 people have pledged online to take
part
in
Earth Hour 2008. Earth Hour began last year in Sydney,
Australia,
when
more than two million residents turned off their lights for one
hour.
Last
year, the energy saved during Earth Hour in Sydney achieved an
emission
reduction
for that city of approximately 10 percent more than doubling
the
5
percent target. If the greenhouse gas emission reduction
achieved in
Sydney
last year during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it
would
be
equivalent to taking more than 48,000 cars off the road for a
year.
In
addition to participating in Earth Hour 2008, there are a number
of actions
that
Florida s residents and visitors can take to help reduce their
greenhouse gas
emissions,
such as replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with
compact
fluorescent
light bulbs, install a programmable thermostat and purchasing
energy
efficient
appliances. To learn more tips for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions
visit
www.dep.state.fl.us/green/tips.
Last summer, Governor Charlie Crist
signed
a set of executive orders to reduce Florida s greenhouse gases
emissions,
increase
energy efficiency, and remove market barriers
for
renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind energy. In
the months
since
the executive orders were signed, Florida has stepped onto the
world
stage
as a major marketplace for advanced energy technologies.
Just
weeks ago, the Governor announced an energy and economic
development
legislative
proposal that builds on the policy framework of the Governor
s
executive
orders, focusing on increasing energy efficiency,
stimulating
development
of renewable sources of energy, and using markets to
reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
For
more information on Earth Hour, or to take the
2008
pledge, visit www.earthhour.org.
For
more information on Florida s actions to reduce
greenhouse
gas emissions, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/climatechan
ge.
.....
March
6, 2008:
Clean
energy and climate change are on the agenda in the Senate.
Politicians
will not pass the strong bills that are required to put this
country
on a new path without pressure from their constituents.
Here’s
how you can help today:
Ask
Your Senators to Support Federal Tax Credits for Clean Energy:
The
United States House approved a bill on 2/27 to extend
more
than $17 billion in tax credits and other incentives to
encourage
the production of energy from solar, wind and other renewable
sources,
and
to promote energy conservation. The bill would be financed by ending
tax
incentives
for oil and natural gas producers.
Find
out more at The
New York Times
Congressman
Vern Buchanan voted in favor of this Bill (H.R. 5351).
Please
consider calling or emailing to thank him.
941-951-6643
http://buchanan.house.gov
/contact.shtml
Unfortunately
both the White House and the Senate are
promising
to block the bill.Please contact your Senators and
ask
them to support extending the Federal tax credits for clean energy.
Senator
Mel Martinez
202-224-3041
Senator
Bill Nelson
202-224-5274
....
February
7, 2008:
Sarasota County and New College of Florida are hosting a
symposium "Get EmPOWERed 2008 -
Fueling Florida's Future," Friday, Feb. 22, at the
Sudakoff Center, New College of Florida.
It will focus on a broad range of topics, from community design
to alternative fuels to
governmental policy. Local, state and national representatives,
along with influential business and
civic leaders, will participate in panels to discuss their roles
in shaping a statewide strategy for
developing renewable and alternative energy sources.
Amory Lovins, Chairman, Chief Scientist, and Co-Founder of the
Rocky Mountain Institute,
is the Keynote Speaker, appearing via a live, interactive
teleconference.
Senator Mike Bennett, Chair of the Florida Senate Communications
and Public Utilities Committee,
which has primary jurisdiction for energy policy in the Senate,
will give opening remarks.
Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Michael M. Sole,
Chair of the Florida Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate
Change, is the lunch speaker.
Registration is $50 and includes a continental breakfast and
lunch.
For more information about the event, or to learn about
sponsorship or exhibition opportunities,
visit the website: www.scgov.net/getempowered
or
contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask
for Get EmPOWERed.
....
November
27, 2007:
Join
Us on Siesta Key Beach for an International Day of Action on
Global Warming:
Time
is running out!
Saturday, December 8th 2007
On Dec. 8th activists at demonstrations around the world will say
loud and clear that
we
need urgent action on global warming. The events will shine a
bright light on
the
next phase of international agreements on limiting global warming
emissions,
a
process the U.S. is notably absent from playing a key role in.
As the world's leaders meet in Bali to create a new climate change
treaty,
we
must show the world that we are committed to immediate action to
stop
global
warming. Join hundreds of other climate activists on Siesta
Key Beach
and
participate in a powerful aerial art message to our leaders –
Time is running out!
WHAT:
Aerial art message: Time Is Running Out!
We will need hundreds of people, some to form the shape of an
hourglass and the
rest
to move from the top of the hourglass, one by one, to the bottom
of the hourglass.
A
helicopter will be overhead with a camera team to record the
movement symbolizing
that
time is running out to stop global warming. Come and be a
part of this first-ever
aerial
art video and show the world that we need action now to save the
climate!
WHEN: 1 PM Saturday, December 8, 2007
WHERE: Siesta Key Beach, near the pavilion
WHY: Climate change is undoubtedly the greatest environmental
threat facing the
planet
today. According to a series of reports released throughout 2007
by the
Nobel
Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
and
again
supported by their report issued last month, the impacts of
climate change are
already
being felt, particularly in the poorest countries of the world,
and immediate action is needed.
The world needs a strong international agreement that includes the
U.S. so we can peak
emissions
and stop global warming. Without this step the world cannot have
confidence
that
the international community is seriously tackling this issue.
Please RSVP to Joe Smyth, at joe.smyth@wdc.greenpeace.org
or 941-951-9049
For more Information: www.floridahotseat.org
November
9, 2007:
Please
call Rep. Vern Buchanan this afternoon at 941-951-6643 to urge
his support on
keeping
the energy bill strong. Here's the information from one of SNCA's
green partners,
Vote
Solar:
Congressional leadership is dropping the ball on renewable energy,
and we need your help to
get
back on track.
On Thursday morning, Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi decided to drop
the renewable
energy
standard out of the energy bill and drop the tax title. No tax title
means no extension
of
the investment tax credit for solar, and no extension of the
production tax credit for wind.
Congressional leadership is moving an energy bill with nothing in it
for renewable energy.
Dropping
the biggest pro-solar provision this country has ever seen, just
when the industry
is
gaining momentum and making an impact. Can you ask your
representative to pass the
renewable
energy message to Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi?
A
suggested script might go like this:
"Hi. My name is__. I, and 90% of
America
, would like more renewable energy.
It's
not a tough call, since it's pretty clear that the future of the
world depends on it.
So,
please tell Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi to include a renewable
energy standard,
and
an 8-year extension for the solar and wind investment tax credits in
the energy bill.
Thank
you."
www.votesolar.org
November
8, 2007:
A
major energy bill is before Congress – Call
Congressman Vern Buchanan at 941-951-6643
This
summer, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to increase fuel economy
standards to 35 mpg by 2020.
The
House of Representatives passed a bill that requires 15 percent of
our country's electricity to
come
from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020.
To
turn this legislation into real progress that will reduce global
warming pollution,
Congress
will need to pass an Energy Bill that combines both the Senate's
fuel efficiency
standards
and the House's renewable electricity standards.
Please
let Congressman Buchanan know that you support an
Energy
Bill that includes both of these important measures, call his office
today at 941-951-6643.
Suggested
phone script:
"Hi,
my name is _____. I am a constituent of Congressman Vern Buchanan
and
I live at [ADDRESS, CITY, STATE]. I'm a constituent and I'm
calling
to
voice my support for global warming solutions that will protect
our
way
of life in
Florida
. A renewable energy standard of 15% and a fuel
efficiency
standard
of 35 mpg must be included in the Energy bill. And you should
make
sure
not to be distracted by dirty and dangerous nuclear loan guarantees.
Thank you."
More
information about the measures:
RES
(Renewable Energy Standards) Background
A
strong, national RES will spur economic development, provide
jobs,
keep
electricity bills low and strengthen energy security. It is also
one
of
the most effective steps we can take to reduce global warming
pollution.
Estimates
are that obtaining 20 percent of our electricity from
renewable
resources
in 2020 would be equivalent to taking almost 90 million cars off the
road.
The
15% percent RES in the current energy bill is a step in the right
direction,
Congress
should pass this legislation and improve on it next year.
Fuel
Efficiency Background
Increasing
the fuel economy of new cars, SUVs, and other light trucks is
vital
to curbing global warming. These vehicles consume over 9 million
barrels of
oil
per day and are the source of 20% of the nation's heat trapping
pollution that
causes
global warming. Improving the fuel economy performance of new
vehicles is the
cleanest,
cheapest, and fastest way to tame our growing dependence on oil.
Unless
Congress
takes meaningful steps to cut our oil addiction, the Department of
Energy
estimates
that the
U.S.
will continue to import approximately 60 percent
of
its oil for the foreseeable future. Congress should pass 35 mpg
legislation
now
and improve on it next year.
Nukes
Background
Protect
U.S.
taxpayers from excessive financial risks of loan guarantees.
Both
the House and Senate bills contain provisions that would
prevent
Congress
from protecting U.S. taxpayers from guaranteeing loans for
excessively
risky
and costly projects, like nuclear plants and so called 'clean coal'
projects.
Congress
should retain its full authority, as provided in the Federal Credit
Reform Act
of
1990, to cap the amount of loans that taxpayers guarantee in any
given year and to
exclude
projects that are particularly risky from loan guarantees.
October 12, 2007: Oceans,
Lightbulbs, and Sunshine
Sunken
Coasts and
Dead
Oceans
?
Climate change, sea level rise, red tide, disappearing wetlands,
coastal habitat changes.
Lecture by Dr. Michael Orbach, Director of the Coastal Environmental
Management
Program
at Duke University, at Mote Marine, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkway,
Oct.
17, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free.
Change
a Light!
The ENERGY STAR Change a Light Campaign is a national
challenge
to
encourage every American to help change the world, one light
—
one
energy-saving step — at a time. You can show your commitment to
reducing
your
carbon footprint by pledging to replace at least one light in your
home with one
that
has earned the ENERGY STAR. Save money, save energy, reduce
greenhouse
gas
emissions and help make
Sarasota
County
the top pledge collector in the country.
Please
visit www.naco.org/changealight
to take the pledge and choose
Sarasota
County
from
the drop down menu. A thank-you email will be sent to pledge takers with
an
Office
Depot coupon for $3 off the purchase of a new ENERGY STAR CFL
lightbulb.
Vote
Solar Initiative to "Put the Sun in the
Sunshine
State
"
We
need your help to put the sun in the
Sunshine
State
. When it comes to global warming,
Florida
has more to lose than most. In just a few days, The Vote Solar
Initiative is going
to
present Governor Crist with a plan to make
Florida
a world-class solar leader.
Their
plan is called the Florida Solar Roofs Initiative and they need to
show
Governor
Crist that Floridians support this plan. To learn more about
the
Florida
Solar Roofs Inititative and send a message to Governor Crist,
visit the
Vote
Solar Initiative link at: http://www.votesolar.org/state-initiatives/florida.html
Basically,
the Florida Solar Roofs Initiative would mean:
•
Generating enough zero-pollution solar energy to cut out more
than
20
coal-fired power plants - the single biggest source of
global-warming pollution.
• Instead, using solar panels ("photovoltaics")
and solar water heating ("solar thermal")
each
for at least 2% of the state's energy, by 2020.
• Saving you money, by letting you run your electricity
meter backwards ("net metering")
when
you install solar power on your roof.
• Money to offset the cost of installing solar panels on the
roof of every house and business
that
wants them.
• A price we can afford. The program's costs are capped at
less than 1% of current utility rates.
Almost
80% of Floridians are willing to pay this much, according to a
recent poll.
Opponents
are pushing to count filthy coal power as "clean," and to
stop the new rules from
actually
requiring clean energy. And Dick Armey, the former Congressman from
Texas
,
has
announced a big-money multimedia campaign to fight the Governor's
efforts.
October 1, 2007
Why
are you concerned about global warming?
Share
your reasons, and call for leadership!
Bayfront
Island
Park
Sunday,
October 7th 5:00 p.m.
Global
warming threatens our way of life in
Florida
. If we do nothing to stop it,
we
will face a future of rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and
drought.
Congress
is considering solutions to stop global warming right now, and
Congressman
Buchanan
needs to hear from us!
Join Greenpeace and the
Sarasota
Network for Climate Action
as we share why we are concerned about global warming, and call on
Congressman
Buchanan to show the leadership we need to avoid the worst impacts of
global warming.
Please
bring a photograph of why you want action to stop global warming -
your home,
your
business, your kids or grandkids - what motivates you?
Better yet, bring the kids;
we'll
be meeting at the picnic tables next to the playground.
Bayfront
Island
Park
is
located
at Bayfront Dr. and
Ringling Blvd.
For more information,
contact Joe Smyth joe.smyth@wdc.greenpeace.org
941-951-9049
September 27, 2007
Monday,
October 1, 6:00 p.m., City of
Sarasota Commission Chambers
,
downtown
on
1st Street
.
Save Our Sarasota will deliver a multi-part presentation in support
of its
recommendation
that the City of
Sarasota
develop and adopt a comprehensive
green-
and open-space policy and plan. They are asking for SNCA
members
to
come and show their support. This initiative is being sought as a
means to
protect
the quality of our Bay waters, and to suppress or prevent the
future
onset of urban heat island effects (a phenomena first observed
by
NASA in 1982, and now part of the U.S. Enivornmental Protection
Agency's
Task
Force Units).
September 11, 2007
Consider
Joining Small Discussion Groups on Global Warming
1. Developed by the Northwest Earth Institute, Global
Warming: Changing Co2urse is a four session
course
exploring the history and science of global warming, personal
values and habits as they relate to
climate
change, and personal actions to curb the effects of
global warming.
Who: Up to 12 people who want to study and discuss
climate change
When: 7:30-9:00 pm, Mondays September 17-October
8, 2007
Where: Sierra Club Office, 2011 Fourth Street,
Sarasota FL
Cost: $20 to cover the book of readings and discussion
guide.
To register: Contact Kathy Albury, 941-927-7565, kfa44@yahoo.com
**
2. Written by David Gershon, Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day
Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds is a
four
session course designed to guide us to save money, save energy,
and save the planet.
This
popular program offers concrete, practical guidance in
lifestyle practices, household
systems,
and empowering others.
Who: Up to 12 people who want to lose carbon pounds in the
next 30 days
When: 7- 8:30 p.m. Monday evenings Oct. 22-Nov. 12, 2007
Where; Whole Foods meeting room, separate entrance on the
corner
Cost: $13 or less for the book
To register: Contact Jessie Williams, 941-366-1246, jessiew12@hotmail.com
September 6, 2007
Action
Alert from Environment Florida:
Don't
let the sun set on clean cars for Florida
Send an
email to Governor Crist to make it clear that the
people of Florida want to see a Clean Cars Program in place as
part of our fight against global warming. To send your email to the
Governor,
click the link below or copy and paste it into your browser:
https://www.environmentflorida.org/action/global-warming/clean-cars?id4=ES
The auto industry is lobbying hard to kill the Clean Cars Program
before it
even gets started. Let's lobby harder to get this program going
since it
mandates that by 2020, the reduction in global warming emissions
would be equal
to taking over 13 million cars off the road for a
year.
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