In 2005, the national academies of science in 11 influential
nations came together to jointly call on every nation to "acknowledge
that the threat of climate change is clear and increasing" and
declare that the "scientific understanding of climate
change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking
prompt action."
|
[An
Inconvenient Truth] |
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| Resources for Undergraduate Students |
| http://www.nrel.gov/learning/ |
| Variety of educational
resources that can help students learn about renewable energy
sources and technologies.
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| Resources for Graduate Students |
| http://www.nrel.gov/education/graduate.html |
| From elementary school
science mentoring to senior-level research participant programs,
NREL's educational opportunities help provide the link to a clean
energy future. As a national laboratory, we are committed to
excellence in science education. Learn about mentored research
internships and fellowships for Undergraduate and Graduate Students.
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|
| Radio: "Discovering where we live: Reimagining Environmentalism" |
| Speaking of Faith. January 11, 2007 |
Environmentalism and climate change are hot topics; yet they're still often imagined as the territory of scientists, expert activists, and those who can afford to be environmentally conscious. We discover two people who are transforming the ecology of their immediate worlds in Dunn, Wisconsin and New York's South Bronx.
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| Citizenre |
| http://renu.citizenre.com/ |
| The Citizenre REnU program
lets you adopt solar energy in your home without making a huge
investment in equipment, maintenence fees, installation cost,
and with fixed rates for up to 25 years by leasing the equipment. |
|
| US Green Building Council |
| http://www.usgbc.org/ |
| The U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC) is a non-profit composed of leaders from every
sector of the building industry working to promote buildings
that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy
places to live and work. Our more than9,000 member organizations
and our network of 75 regional chapters are united to advance
our mission of transforming the building industry to sustainability. (web
description) |
|
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
| http://www.nrel.gov/ |
| The National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for
renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.
NREL's mission and strategy are focused on advancing the U.S.
Department of Energy's and our nation's energy goals. The laboratory's
scientists and researchers support critical market objectives
to accelerate research from scientific innovations to market-viable
alternative energy solutions. (Web description) |
|
| Focus The Nation: Global Warming Solutions
for America |
| http://www.focusthenation.org/ |
| Focus the Nation
is a major educational initiative that is coordinating teams
of faculty, students and staff at over a thousand colleges
universities and high schools in the United States, to collaboratively
engage in a nationwide interdisciplinary discussion centered
around the theme of 'Stabilizing the Climate in the 21st
Century'. The project will culminate January 31, 2008, in the
form of one-day, national symposia held simultaneously on campuses
across the country, including the University
of Maryland. |
|
| National Youth Climate Summit |
| To strengthen the movement
for real climate solutions in an effective and coordinated way,
The Energy Action Coalition is holding the first ever large national
summit with 3,000 - 5,000 young people to share best practices,
build community, learn skills and solutions, set clear and ambitious
plans for action, and impel federal action to make it happen.
Leveraging the momentum we’ve built through the Campus
Climate Challenge, the 41 partner organizations of the coalition
will take this momentum beyond our campuses to a key place where
this crisis must be addressed: Washington, DC. The summit will
take place on February 23-24th at George Washington University. |
|
| The Focus Awards |
| http://www.focusthenation.org/awards/ |
| The Focus Awards recognize
organizations and individuals who have shown leadership with
regard to clean energy technology, reduction of carbon emissions,
and raising awareness about climate change. The awards recognize
that organizations and individuals can contribute in a variety
of ways. Awards will be presented in several categories: students,
religious leader, civic leaders, politician, businesses, and
media. |
|
| Book: How to Live Well Without Owning a Car:
Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life.
Ten Speed Press. (2006) |
| http://www.livecarfree.com/ |
| How to Live Well without
Owning a Car is a new nonfiction book by award-winning journalist
and author Chris Balish. The book suggests taking a different
path—a car-free path. The program in this book will show
you how to live a full, active life without owning a car. And
without a car to pay for, practically anyone can get out of debt,
save money, and even achieve financial freedom. The truth is
that tens of millions of working Americans do not need to own
a car. (web description) |
|
| Forest Stewardship Council |
| http://www.fsc.org |
FSC is an international
not-for-profit membership-based organization that brings people
together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry
practices and to reward good forest management.
Corporate social responsibility issues are becoming a core
component of corporate brands. Dealing responsibly with
your company’s footprint cannot only reduce risk, but
can enhance your brand if you walk the walk and know how to
talk about it. Carrying the FSC-certification logo on
your print products tells the world that you support the highest
social and environmental standards in the market where you
use paper. Your purchase of FSC-certified paper and print
products contribute to conservation, responsible management,
and community level benefits for people near the forests that
provide your paper. (web description, USA branch) |
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|
Interdisciplinary Responses
to Climate Change |
| Clima 2007 WellBeing Indoors Congress. 10-14 June Helsinki,
Finland |
| http://www.clima2007.org/portal/ |
| Clima 2007 will be the
leading international scientific congress in the HVAC area in
year 2007. The 9th REHVA World Congress will offer scientists,
industry, building owners, consultants, engineers, architects
and policy-makers a platform for the exchange of scientific knowledge
and technical solutions. The congress will cover all the aspects
of HVAC technology including building automation in all types
of buildings. |
|
| The Carbon Mitigation Initiative (CMI) |
| http://www.princeton.edu/~cmi/ |
| The Carbon Mitigation Initiative,
a part of the Princeton Environmental Institute, is a joint project
of Princeton University, BP andthe Ford Motor Company to
find solutions to the greenhouse and global warming problem. Together,
our researchers are developing strategies to reduce global carbon
dioxide emissions that will be safe, effective, and affordable. (web
description) |
|
| Earth Institute at Columbia University |
| http://www.earth.columbia.edu/ |
The Earth Institute at
Columbia University brings together talent from throughout the
University to address complex issues facing the planet and its
inhabitants, with particular focus on sustainable development
and the needs of the world's poor. The Earth Institute is motivated
by the belief that science and technological tools already exist,
and could be expanded, to greatly improve conditions for the
world's poor while preserving the natural systems that support
life on Earth.
Under the direction of international economist Professor Jeffrey
D. Sachs, the Earth Institute supports pioneering projects in
the biological, engineering, social, and health sciences, while
actively encouraging interdisciplinary projects — often
combining natural and social sciences — in pursuit of solutions
to real world problems. |
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| Carbonfund |
| http://www.carbonfund.org/site/ |
| Carbonfund.org is leading
the fight against climate change, making it easy and affordable
for any individual, business or organization to eliminate their
climate impact and hastening the transformation to a clean energy
and technology future. Carbonfund.org achieves its goals through:
Climate change education, carbon reductions and offsets, outreach
to the public. (site description) |
|
| Carbon Trading |
| http://www.carbontrading.com/ |
| Carbon Trading is a market
based mechanism for helping mitigate the increase of CO2 in the
atmosphere. Carbon trading markets are developing that
bring buyers and sellers of carbon credits together with standardized
rules of trade. |
|
| EcoLeds |
| http://www.ecoleds.com/ |
EcoLEDs are white light
bulbs that replaces regular bulbs. Lasts 50,000 hours and saves
you nearly $350 in electricity over its life while reducing CO2
emissions by nearly 7,000 pounds compared to regular light bulbs.
Contains NO mercury like compact fluorescent lights. Remarkably
bright. Operates in standard light sockets worldwide (from 85
- 240 volts AC, covering most countries). Runs cool and produces
very little heat. Precision machined and unconditionally guaranteed.
Includes a Certificate of CO2 Emissions
Reduction. |
|
| Next Generation Earth: Potential impacts of climate change
in Maryland |
| http://www.nextgenerationearth.org/contents/view/27 |
Global climate change
poses risks to human health and to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Important economic resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries,
and water resources also may be affected. Warmer temperatures,
more severe droughts and floods, and sea level rise could have
a wide range of impacts. All these stresses can add to existing
stresses on resources caused by other influences such as population
growth, land-use changes, and pollution. (web description)
Subsidiary project of The Earth Institute at Columbia
University, this website lets users check the potential
impact of climate change in the US by state. |
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|
Fossil
& Biofuels |
| Grassolean |
| http://www.grassolean.com/ |
| The Grassolean production
project began in 2001 when Charris Ford, who had been operating
a biodiesel powered truck, joined forces with Dr. Ken Hodges
and Glen Harcourt. The men began researching the process of making
veggie fuel and working together to build a small scaled processor
of their own. With Ken at the helm as head engineer, they designed
and fabricated a top of the line 80gallon batch biodiesel processor
suitable for a garage scaled fuel production. Restaurants were
signed up, chemical sources found, and the project was on. Site
includes stations country wide to fuel with biodiesel. |
| Article: “The Dark Side of Biofuels:
Horror in the Brazilian California” |
| http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2872.cfm |
by Raúl Zibechi,
Americas Program Center for International Policy (July 23, 2007)
Brazil is staking its claim as a great emerging power thanks
to the leadership it maintains in biofuel production. The price
of this ambition is paid by the environment and by the cane cutters,
who are the invisible characters in this story.< |
|
| Letter: “Forget renewables - better
use of carbon fuels is needed” |
| http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1875716,00.html |
The Guardian (September
19, 2006)
The absurdity of the reaction (Letters, September 15) to the
implications of the Tyndall Centre's conclusions on climate change
was clearly demonstrated by the proceedings of the concurrent
Third Opec International Seminar in Vienna, which was attended
by more than 400 delegates from all over the world, mostly from
developing nations. |
|
| Article: “Could sugar cane save the
planet?” |
| http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1874347,00.html |
By Robin McKie and Ned
Temko, The Observer (September 17, 2006)
Cars that run on sugar cane, fuel made from palm trees - it sounds
like an oil-free future that could solve global warming. But,
as a major report backs the biofuels revolution, the critics
are gathering |
|
|
| Corn-based Ethanol |
There's been some interesting
perspectives in the news lately about the consequence of the
US push for corn-based ethanol (supported by sustantial subsidies)as
an energy subsitute for oil. The US has high tariffs to exclude
much cheaper and more efficient sugar-based Brazilian ethanol.
This emphasis on corn-based ethanol (transforming food intofuel)ispushing
up the cost of food staples that much of the world relies on:
Article: “Starving
the Poor” by Noam Chomsky
Article: “The
Debate Heats Up” Reflections from
Fidel Castro
Article: “How
Biofuels Could Starve the Poor” Foreign
Affairs |
|
|
Carbon
Offsets |
|
| Where can you buy offsets? |
| http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=270 |
| Environmental Defense have done the work for you. All these offsets were evaluated by a team of experts and meet their standards for credible, high-quality offsets. The prices range from $4 to $8 per metric ton. |
|
| Make Me Sustainable |
| http://www.makemesustainable.com |
| MakeMeSustainable was created
to fill the void between how we feel about our environment and
what we do about it. We bring you the tools to take action. Our
Carbon and Energy Portfolio Manager enables you to visualize
and contextualize your individual impact. MMS' sustainable solutions
empower you to act upon your knowledge. We can help you to become
a more environmentally conscious and efficient individual or
business. MMS empowers you to spread the word and encourage friends,
family, and co-workers to join the collective effort.
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| Further Discussion: "Cost of Saving the Climate Meets Real-World Hurdles" |
By David A. Fahrenthold and Steven Mufson, Washington Post (August 16, 2007)
|
On the Internet, erasing your role in climate change seems as easy as ordering a DVD -- and cheaper than a cup of coffee a day. A closer look reveals an unregulated market in which some improvements bought by customers are only estimated, extrapolated, hoped-for or nil. Some offsets support projects that would have gone forward anyway. Others deliver results difficult to measure.
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|
News |
| Spending: "War Costing $720 Million Each Day, Group Says" |
| By Kari Lydersen, Washington Post Staff Writer. September 22, 2007 |
CHICAGO, Sept. 21 -- The money spent on one day of the Iraq war could buy homes for almost 6,500 families or health care for 423,529 children, or could outfit 1.27 million homes with renewable electricity, according to the American Friends Service Committee, which displayed those statistics on large banners in cities nationwide Thursday and Friday. The war is costing $720 million a day or $500,000 a minute, according to the group's analysis of the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard public finance lecturer Linda J. Bilmes. |
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