Wednesday, March 30, 2016
March for Climate Action - Route Update!
Our march on April 9th will start at the La Crosse Center at 3:00 and travel through downtown along 3rd Street to the intersection with La Crosse Street (by City Hall and Burger King), one of the busiest intersections in town. More traffic = More visibility for our message! For those who can't or don't want to march, you can meet us at the ending point. We will plan to stay until 4:30, weather permitting. We're also working out the details for an artistic group activity/message - stay tuned for further updates!
Monday, March 28, 2016
Free showings of climate documentary series
First Congregational Church invites the community to join them for the final three episodes of "Years of Living Dangerously" this April. Showings will be in their community room (where we had our Climate Festival) at 2503 Main St.
From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, the groundbreaking documentary series, Years of Living Dangerously, provides first-hand reports on those affected by, and seeking solutions to, climate change. The episodes feature celebrity investigators, who each have a history of environmental activism, and well-known journalists, each of whom have a background in environmental reportage. The Emmy Award winning (2014) Showtime television series will be shown on Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m., facilitated by Carlene Roberts and Tom Uphaus. We will view the last three segments of the series as follows:
Apr. 10 ~ Episode 7, "Revolt, Rebuild, Renew": Jessica Alba follows Climate Corps fellows as they work to help US companies save money and improve profits through energy efficiency and sustainability management. Friedman learns that "Earth could warm by more than 9 degrees F by 2100 if we don’t aggressively reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases", and that more frequent heat waves and droughts will contribute to food shortages, which can lead to greater conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. Hayes explores the economy of another area stricken by Hurricane Sandy, Far Rockaway, Queens, discovering that the most economically vulnerable people have been the most severely affected, losing their jobs because of lack of transportation, or having to move away altogether.
Apr. 17 ~ Episode 8, "A Dangerous Future": Michael C. Hall travels to Bangladesh to see how climate change will impact workers and the poor in developing countries in the coming decades, when a projected 150 million people will be forced to leave their homes to escape sea level rise and increased drought, insect-borne disease and flooding. Matt Damon explores the public health emergencies around the nation and world caused by more frequent, intense, and longer heat waves, which kill more Americans than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and lightning combined and cause health problems associated with dehydration, such as premature birth. Friedman continues his Middle East investigation in Yemen, where the scarcity of water is already leading to local fighting.
Apr. 24 ~ Episode 9, "Moving a Mountain": Hall concludes his journey to Bangladesh, where rising seas are expected to submerge 17% of the country. He learns that global warming is a human rights, public health and foreign policy issue. Sanjayan questions top climate scientists in their fields who collect data from the past, such as ice core samples, that explain how our climate is changing. Friedman interviews President Barack Obama on climate change and finds that climate can change so fast that it can wipe out a civilization and that "action taken to curb greenhouse emissions could have a measurable, helpful impact." Obama acknowledges that, to avoid the worst effects of global warming, we must leave some fossil fuels unexploited.
From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, the groundbreaking documentary series, Years of Living Dangerously, provides first-hand reports on those affected by, and seeking solutions to, climate change. The episodes feature celebrity investigators, who each have a history of environmental activism, and well-known journalists, each of whom have a background in environmental reportage. The Emmy Award winning (2014) Showtime television series will be shown on Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m., facilitated by Carlene Roberts and Tom Uphaus. We will view the last three segments of the series as follows:
Apr. 10 ~ Episode 7, "Revolt, Rebuild, Renew": Jessica Alba follows Climate Corps fellows as they work to help US companies save money and improve profits through energy efficiency and sustainability management. Friedman learns that "Earth could warm by more than 9 degrees F by 2100 if we don’t aggressively reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases", and that more frequent heat waves and droughts will contribute to food shortages, which can lead to greater conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. Hayes explores the economy of another area stricken by Hurricane Sandy, Far Rockaway, Queens, discovering that the most economically vulnerable people have been the most severely affected, losing their jobs because of lack of transportation, or having to move away altogether.
Apr. 17 ~ Episode 8, "A Dangerous Future": Michael C. Hall travels to Bangladesh to see how climate change will impact workers and the poor in developing countries in the coming decades, when a projected 150 million people will be forced to leave their homes to escape sea level rise and increased drought, insect-borne disease and flooding. Matt Damon explores the public health emergencies around the nation and world caused by more frequent, intense, and longer heat waves, which kill more Americans than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and lightning combined and cause health problems associated with dehydration, such as premature birth. Friedman continues his Middle East investigation in Yemen, where the scarcity of water is already leading to local fighting.
Apr. 24 ~ Episode 9, "Moving a Mountain": Hall concludes his journey to Bangladesh, where rising seas are expected to submerge 17% of the country. He learns that global warming is a human rights, public health and foreign policy issue. Sanjayan questions top climate scientists in their fields who collect data from the past, such as ice core samples, that explain how our climate is changing. Friedman interviews President Barack Obama on climate change and finds that climate can change so fast that it can wipe out a civilization and that "action taken to curb greenhouse emissions could have a measurable, helpful impact." Obama acknowledges that, to avoid the worst effects of global warming, we must leave some fossil fuels unexploited.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Action alert: NO offshore drilling
With environmental friends like this, ...
The Obama admnistration released it's update of offshore drilling plans recently. The good news: drilling off the Atlantic coast was nixed. But, the real news: the Administration plans to permit more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and, worse, in the Arctic.
Meanwhile, Dr. James Hansen reminds us that, "Dangerous Sea Level Rise Will Occur in Decades, Not Centuries."
from Credo:
From the Sierra Club:
from 350.org
Please take action. More, please pay attention to the records, funders, and trajectory of presidential candidates.
The Obama admnistration released it's update of offshore drilling plans recently. The good news: drilling off the Atlantic coast was nixed. But, the real news: the Administration plans to permit more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and, worse, in the Arctic.
Meanwhile, Dr. James Hansen reminds us that, "Dangerous Sea Level Rise Will Occur in Decades, Not Centuries."
"We’re in danger of handing young people a situation that’s out of their control." - Dr. James Hansen
from Credo:
From the Sierra Club:
from 350.org
Please take action. More, please pay attention to the records, funders, and trajectory of presidential candidates.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Coming Soon: March for Climate Action!
Climate change WILL affect you - are you ready to do something about it?
On April 9th, let's join together to show the community we're taking action to combat climate change and we encourage them to do the same! Meet outside the La Crosse Center (2nd and Pearl Streets) with signs at 3:00. The route and end point will be determined soon - stay tuned for details.
Please share this event with your friends, family, and any groups you are a part of - let's get the BIGGEST turnout for a local event yet! Also, see the facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/992945894126405/
Saturday, March 19, 2016
New from MN350
* U.S. Bank claims to take climate change seriously, yet they continue to provide billions of dollars in financing to the fossil fuel industry, including extensive financing for Enbridge Energy, the company behind the Alberta Clipper tar sands pipeline.
On February 25th, MN350 met with US Bank Community Relations representatives, together with other members of the Minnesotans for a Fair Economy coalition. That day, US Bank promised to get back to the coalition by March 5th regarding a meeting with Environmental Program decision makers. They have broken that promise, despite a stated commitment to “engage in dialogue with...non governmental organizations (NGO’s), and other stakeholders to better understand the impacts of Climate Change and to help identify options for solutions.” Click here to hold US Bank accountable to their environmental policy. Send a message to CEO Richard Davis and other bank officials asking them to keep their promises.
* Minnesota governor Mark Dayton finally met with MN350 and allies about new and expanded oil pipelines after they interrupted his speech during a state water summit. His current position is that one of these pipelines - the Sandpiper - is needed and Minnesota must deal with the risk, which is unacceptable to so many citizens and organizations across the state. You can sign a petition to tell Governor Dayton that Minnesota does not need any more crude oil pipelines!
On February 25th, MN350 met with US Bank Community Relations representatives, together with other members of the Minnesotans for a Fair Economy coalition. That day, US Bank promised to get back to the coalition by March 5th regarding a meeting with Environmental Program decision makers. They have broken that promise, despite a stated commitment to “engage in dialogue with...non governmental organizations (NGO’s), and other stakeholders to better understand the impacts of Climate Change and to help identify options for solutions.” Click here to hold US Bank accountable to their environmental policy. Send a message to CEO Richard Davis and other bank officials asking them to keep their promises.
* Minnesota governor Mark Dayton finally met with MN350 and allies about new and expanded oil pipelines after they interrupted his speech during a state water summit. His current position is that one of these pipelines - the Sandpiper - is needed and Minnesota must deal with the risk, which is unacceptable to so many citizens and organizations across the state. You can sign a petition to tell Governor Dayton that Minnesota does not need any more crude oil pipelines!
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Cars cars cars
Please read today's report in the La Crosse Tribune
about an important La Crosse Area Planning meeting coming up TOMORROW
(March 16) regarding future steps in the Wisconsin DOT's plan to build
more roads in our area.
If you are able to attend the meeting (March 16 at 4:30 p.m. in room 3220 County Administration Building, 400 N. Fourth Street), please do. The more people who show up and demand change, the more chance we have of affecting change. If you cannot attend, at least please email or call you committee member (shown in the article).
As we know, driving personal vehicles is one of the most environmentally damaging things people can do. If the tipping point for catastrophic climate change is near, at what point do we recognize that a major change is required?
The article is here: http://lacrossetribune.com/
=====
** Update on car sharing in La Crosse. At the March 5 Climate Action Fair, several people discussed the idea of bringing a car sharing program to La Crosse and we ran a TEDTalk by the founder of ZipCar, one of the oldest and best known car sharing programs in the US.
A car sharing program is a membership program. When you join, you pay a membership fee and get access to a universal key and a fleet of cars. The program owns, insures, fuels, and maintains the cars using membership fees. In larger cities, the fleet includes a variety of vehicles from small coupes and hatchbacks to trucks and vans and these are parked around the city to be easily accessible by members . Members reserve a fleet vehicle, use the vehicle for a few hours or a day or several days, and return it. They are usually charged a per mile fee and/or a day rate. The member pays for the vehicle when she/he needs it but not for the 95% of the time the vehicle is parked and idle. The program allows 20 or more people to share one car, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, provides local jobs, and relieves congestion. The program hires people to maintain and clean the cars and troubleshoot when needed.
Enterprise operates car share programs on several college campuses including UWL. Brian Kosiak has contacted the local Enterprise about the possibility of expanding that program into the La Crosse community. It is a possibility IF enough people are interested.
WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A LA CROSSE AREA CAR SHARE PROGRAM? If you would be interested in joining such a program OR if you would like to help plan and promote such a program here, EMAIL couleeregionclimatealliance@gmail.com with subject line CAR SHARE.
To quote Robin Chase, founder of ZipCar (from a TEDTalk given in 2007)
If you are able to attend the meeting (March 16 at 4:30 p.m. in room 3220 County Administration Building, 400 N. Fourth Street), please do. The more people who show up and demand change, the more chance we have of affecting change. If you cannot attend, at least please email or call you committee member (shown in the article).
As we know, driving personal vehicles is one of the most environmentally damaging things people can do. If the tipping point for catastrophic climate change is near, at what point do we recognize that a major change is required?
The article is here: http://lacrossetribune.com/
=====
** Update on car sharing in La Crosse. At the March 5 Climate Action Fair, several people discussed the idea of bringing a car sharing program to La Crosse and we ran a TEDTalk by the founder of ZipCar, one of the oldest and best known car sharing programs in the US.
A car sharing program is a membership program. When you join, you pay a membership fee and get access to a universal key and a fleet of cars. The program owns, insures, fuels, and maintains the cars using membership fees. In larger cities, the fleet includes a variety of vehicles from small coupes and hatchbacks to trucks and vans and these are parked around the city to be easily accessible by members . Members reserve a fleet vehicle, use the vehicle for a few hours or a day or several days, and return it. They are usually charged a per mile fee and/or a day rate. The member pays for the vehicle when she/he needs it but not for the 95% of the time the vehicle is parked and idle. The program allows 20 or more people to share one car, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, provides local jobs, and relieves congestion. The program hires people to maintain and clean the cars and troubleshoot when needed.
Enterprise operates car share programs on several college campuses including UWL. Brian Kosiak has contacted the local Enterprise about the possibility of expanding that program into the La Crosse community. It is a possibility IF enough people are interested.
WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A LA CROSSE AREA CAR SHARE PROGRAM? If you would be interested in joining such a program OR if you would like to help plan and promote such a program here, EMAIL couleeregionclimatealliance@gmail.com with subject line CAR SHARE.
To quote Robin Chase, founder of ZipCar (from a TEDTalk given in 2007)
"I'm really scared. We need to reduce CO2 emissions in 10 to 15 years by 80% in order to avert catastrophic effects, and I am astounded that I am standing here to tell you that, what are catastrophic effects? a three degree centigrade climate change rise that will result in 50% species extinction. It's not a movie. This is real life. And I'm really worried because when people talk about cars, which I know something about, the press and politicians and people in this room are all thinking, 'Let's use fuel efficient cars.' If we started today, ten years from now, at the end of this window of opportunity, those fuel efficient cars would reduce our fossil fuel needs by four per cent.That is NOT enough."
Monday, March 14, 2016
Reminder - start your SOLAR GARDEN tonight!
The beauty of the community solar garden is that it is LOCAL and, if you wanted to install solar anyway, you don't have to cut down trees, pay for installation, maintenance, and repair, or have other concerns about an on-site system.
Xcel estimates that each 200 watt panel will produce about 257 kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per year. (One 100 watt light bulb uses 1 kilowatt of electrity (1,000 watts) in 10 hours.) The energy your panels produce each month will be credited to your bill.*
If your home uses about 257 kWh of electricity per month and you subscribe to 12 panels, you will basically be producing all your electricity via solar panels. (Of course the output varies depending upon weather, snow amounts, damage, etc.)
It's always a gamble. The Vernon Electric Community Solar Garden sold out in just a few weeks. That array consisted of 305 watt panels for which subscribers paid $600 each ($1.97/watt). But VEC pays back the "net meter" rate (the cost a customer is charged to purchase electricity) so a 20 year payback period was predicted.
The Xcel solar garden offers 200 watt panels for about $1.78/watt but pays back subscribers at a wholesale price (currently about 7.4 cents per kWh) while charging them at at retail price (currently 11.09 cents). *So this means if you use 100 kWh of electricity in a month and your panels produce 100 kWh of electricity, you will still have to pay the difference - currently about 3.69 cents/kWh PLUS you will still need to pay the fixed cost (which will soon be going up from $8 per month to $14 per month, punishing efficiency and low income customers. The increase was approved by a three member "Public" Service Commission panel, whose members are appointed by the governor and whose predecessors, more often than not, get primo jobs with those they regulate after leaving the panel. What a country!)
But, if you want to promote local renewable energy and get your own solar powered life without all the fuss and bother or siting and installing and maintaining your own system, this is definitely the way to go!
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Take actions - don't let up
Catastrophic climate change will not be averted because we click a few buttons on a computer. We have to change, call, attend, write, and speak out (and work and vote for good climate candidates).
Why?
Ron Malzer has an excellent letter about the health effects to children in Sunday's Tribune. That's one reason.
Locally, the La Crosse Area Planning Committee Policy Board (LAPC) will decide whether or not to approve the next steps toward a new highway through the La Crosse Marsh (environmental assessments of the six remaining options - all of which will mean new and/or enlarged roadways). If you can attend their March 16 meeting (4:30 p.m. in room 3220 County Administration Building), please do.
Tell them further study of these unacceptable options is a waste of time and money. If you can't attend the meeting, contact your representative to the policy board.
Nationally, our "environmental" president is on the verge of approving new drilling off the coasts - in the Arctic and Atlantic even as climate scientists tell us we must "leave it in the ground" to have any hope of changing course. The League of Conservation Voters is raising the alarm about this plan.
And, for those of us who thought the fracking boom might be over, this depressing release celebrates shipments of fracked natural gas which have started moving in huge container ships from the US to Europe.
Please take action and please share other news and actions with us. - cathy
Ron Malzer has an excellent letter about the health effects to children in Sunday's Tribune. That's one reason.
Locally, the La Crosse Area Planning Committee Policy Board (LAPC) will decide whether or not to approve the next steps toward a new highway through the La Crosse Marsh (environmental assessments of the six remaining options - all of which will mean new and/or enlarged roadways). If you can attend their March 16 meeting (4:30 p.m. in room 3220 County Administration Building), please do.
Tell them further study of these unacceptable options is a waste of time and money. If you can't attend the meeting, contact your representative to the policy board.
Nationally, our "environmental" president is on the verge of approving new drilling off the coasts - in the Arctic and Atlantic even as climate scientists tell us we must "leave it in the ground" to have any hope of changing course. The League of Conservation Voters is raising the alarm about this plan.
And, for those of us who thought the fracking boom might be over, this depressing release celebrates shipments of fracked natural gas which have started moving in huge container ships from the US to Europe.
Please take action and please share other news and actions with us. - cathy
Saturday, March 12, 2016
CCL meeting this week!
The La Crosse Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby is meeting on Wednesday, March 16, at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship building at 401 W. Ave S. (parking behind the building). Among the topics of discussion will be CCL's most recent international call, which featured U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo, the Florida Republican who collaborated with a Democratic colleague to form the new bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House. Recordings of these calls (and others) can be found in podcast form at http://ccl.podbean.com/. For more information on CCL, check out their webpage.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Climate Change Deniers in Congress Identified!
A recent report by the Center for American Progress Action Fund found that one third of Congress has denied climate change . And these deniers have taken more than $73 million in contributions from fossil fuel companies over their careers. At this site, there's an interactive map where you can find out, by state, who these deniers are! Unfortunately (but not surprisingly), there are some from Wisconsin and Minnesota - but perhaps we can change that on election day in November!
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Do you know your carbon footprint?
In case you couldn't make it to our event today but would like to find out what your carbon footprint is, here's a great calculator website: http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/carboncalculator
You can see how your footprint compares to others in your area and get ideas for how to reduce it!
More info about the March 5 climate fair (video play list, etc) at the event page!
You can see how your footprint compares to others in your area and get ideas for how to reduce it!
More info about the March 5 climate fair (video play list, etc) at the event page!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Sierra Club urges action on transportation plans
The north-south highway will not die. Check out this news from the Coulee Region Sierra Club.
At the March 16 meeting of the La Crosse Area Plannng Committee's Policy Board, the DOT will ask the LAPC to weigh in on moving forward with the next phase of the project - environmental review of the six proposed options.
The Sierra Club believes more roads are not the answer. Further study of unacceptable options is a waste of energy, time, and money.
Therefore, we encourage you to contact members of the LAPC Policy Board and ask them to support a no-build option. If you are able to attend the Board's meeting on March 16 at 4:30 p.m. (room 3220 La Crosse County Administrative Center), please do.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Yea/Boo
Xcel Energy has announced it will construct two community owned solar gardens this fall/winter. Xcel customers may sign up for 25-year contracts and purchase panels (minimum = 1 200 watt panel for $356) up to the equivalent of their annual electricity use. This is great.
In strong solar/renewable programs, payback to subscribers or solar installations is equal or close to the cost to consumers (in La Crosse, that's a little more than 11 cents per kWh). However, the Xcel community garden will pay only 7.4 cents per kWh which extends the payback period considerably. We don't know if that rate is fixed for the life of the program or if it will fluctuate. We do know that the cost of solar energy has been falling like a rock over the past few years.
It's good that Xcel is moving to install more renewable energy and especially in the communities it serves. But remember, that Xcel just received approval from the Public Service Commission to hike the monthly fixed rate on our bills. So, in the end, if the cost of solar drops but the cost of your electricity bill, solar or not, continues to rise, that's not a good deal for consumers.
You can get more information and ask more questions at upcoming information sessions. In La Crosse, those will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14 at the Lunda Center, Western Technical College and at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 at the People's Food Co-op.
In strong solar/renewable programs, payback to subscribers or solar installations is equal or close to the cost to consumers (in La Crosse, that's a little more than 11 cents per kWh). However, the Xcel community garden will pay only 7.4 cents per kWh which extends the payback period considerably. We don't know if that rate is fixed for the life of the program or if it will fluctuate. We do know that the cost of solar energy has been falling like a rock over the past few years.
It's good that Xcel is moving to install more renewable energy and especially in the communities it serves. But remember, that Xcel just received approval from the Public Service Commission to hike the monthly fixed rate on our bills. So, in the end, if the cost of solar drops but the cost of your electricity bill, solar or not, continues to rise, that's not a good deal for consumers.
You can get more information and ask more questions at upcoming information sessions. In La Crosse, those will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14 at the Lunda Center, Western Technical College and at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 at the People's Food Co-op.
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