That the US consumes 25% of the world's resources makes any consideration of energy crucial to begin at home with us as individuals and our municipality.
Even as the Middleboro Board of Selectmen are supporting a massive energy and resource glutton in the proposed casino, they have yet to address municipal energy consumption in a cash strapped budget. Other towns have done it. Why not Middleboro? Taunton saved $570,000.
The plight of endangered species represents ecosystems in distress. Those ecosystems no longer suitable for species that have evolved to survive over millions of years represent environmental destruction that is becoming less habitable for the human species. So while some dismiss the tree-huggers, they overlook that as a species, we are successfully destroying the environment that sustains our very survival.
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Continuing to invade other nations, employ the US military as mercenaries for oil companies and drilling ourselves to destruction won't solve the problem.
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The solutions begin with indiviuals understanding the issues and reducing household consumption in simple ways, beginning with CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), and minor additional changes, like reducing Junk Mail. Although a personal annoyance, if 1,000 Middleboro households reduced their Junk Mail, that's 41,000 POUNDS that doesn't require disposal or recycling or transport.
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Your individual commitment to empty your mailbox of unwanted solicitations might seem trivial until the magnitude of the potential is presented. That's more than 20 TONS when combined with others.
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Information has previously been posted about stopping Junk Mail
Previous LINK
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Household lighting accounts for ~ 15% of electric consumption. Local Middleboro stores offer an assortment of CFLs for ~ $1.00. Don't have the money to replace every bulb in the house at once? First replace those bulbs that are left on the most - for night lights, for safety like stairway illumination. But DO IT!
The following are some of the articles posted:
Energy Savings? Not in Middleboro
Politics, Energy, Vested Interests, Consumers Come Last
NESEA
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The greatest acknowledgement by scientists today is that the problems of global warming were UNDERESTIMATED.
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Below are an array of articles addressing the issue.
The American Denial of Global Warming
(#13459; 58 minutes; 12/12/2007)Polls show that between one-third and one-half of Americans still believe that there is "no solid" evidence of global warming, or that if warming is happening it can be attributed to natural variability. Others believe that scientists are still debating the point. Join scientist and renowned historian Naomi Oreskes as she describes her investigation into the reasons for such widespread mistrust and misunderstanding of scientific consensus and probes the history of organized campaigns designed to create public doubt and confusion about science. YouTube
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Cape Wind Energy Project Project Description and Status
The MMS will accept written comments from the public until March 20. In addition, MMS will receive comments at public hearings in Hyannis/Yarmouth, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Boston, Massachusetts. MMS
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John Kerry
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MassAudubon
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GreenPeace
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Rural casinos leave a huge carbon footprint
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Court overturns mercury emissions plan February 09, 2008 6:00 AM WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court struck down a Bush administration policy exempting power plants from certain environmental regulations. The court said the policy was unlawful. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit negated a rule known as cap-and-trade. That policy allows power plants that fail to meet emission targets to buy credits from plants that did, rather than having to install their own mercury emissions controls. The rule was to go into effect in 2010. ST
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No climate for old men
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Global Climate Change Response Can Spur $7 Trillion in Clean Energy Investment by 2030: CERA Analysis
February 5, 2008 In “Launch Pad” scenario, Renewable Power & Biofuels Could Supply 16% of Global Electric & Transportation Fuel Needs by 2030. Press Release CAMBRIDGE, Mass.
Increasing public concerns about climate change -- and its potential economic and political security consequences -- are driving public policy and private investment to bring clean energy technologies from the fringes of the global energy industry to the center of activities as quickly as possible, a new analysis by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) has concluded. CERA
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Democrats Push "Green" Energy Tax Breaks
By Noam N. Levey
The Los Angeles Times Tuesday 05 February 2008 Their proposal is part of an effort to expand the multibillion-dollar economic stimulus package. Washington - As Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus talked up his proposal Monday to expand a multibillion-dollar economic stimulus package, he spoke of the need to help seniors, disabled veterans and the unemployed. There was just one industry the Montana Democrat singled out for special assistance: renewable energy. As Senate Democrats push ahead with legislation to blunt a possible recession, they are trying to get support for tax breaks for wind-farm developers, builders of more efficient appliances and businesses that install fuel cells. TO
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Scientists identify 'tipping points' of climate change
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Tuesday, 5 February 2008 Nine ways in which the Earth could be tipped into a potentially dangerous state that could last for many centuries have been identified by scientists investigating how quickly global warming could run out of control. A major international investigation by dozens of leading climate scientists has found that the "tipping points" for all nine scenarios – such as the melting of the Arctic sea ice or the disappearance of the Amazon rainforest – could occur within the next 100 years. Independent
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Is There a Plan for Life After Peak Oil?
The Last Straw Posted February 12, 2008 A new generation of biofuels turns out to be another environmental disaster
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Bracken Hendricks, author of Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy
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The Center for Public Integrity
Here’s the report that top officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thought was too hot for the public to handle—and the story behind it.
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Here’s the report that top officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thought was too hot for the public to handle—and the story behind it.
by Greg Palast
Or Kyrgyzstan. Or Turkmenistan. But as your kids will be fighting there among the oil pipes, you should kiss Ted Rall’s crazy ass for going there first - and getting it all down in a book of dead-on cartoons and reportage, Silk Road to Ruin.
Nobel Laureate Urges Oil Cos To Help Cut Emissions
US: February 14, 2008
HOUSTON - Rajendra Pachauri said he thought he was "walking into the lion's den" Tuesday when he told oil executives they need to take a lead in cutting greenhouse gas emissions in order to save the earth. PlanetArk
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Improving Our Green Job Prospects
By Kelpie Wilson
t r u t h o u t Environment Editor
Friday 15 February 2008
On the one hand we have a deepening economic recession, a mortgage and debt crisis, and rising unemployment. On the other hand is the growing energy and climate crisis, shadowed by the specters of peak oil and planetary meltdown. Rising prices for energy, food and health care are hitting the poor and middle class hard. We have ourselves in quite a mess.
The Bush-Cheney record speaks for itself, as does the John McCain record. McCain played a linchpin role in the two most recent Republican filibusters of renewable energy programs. He failed to show up and vote for the strong version of the energy bill in December when the Democrats had 59 votes for the bill and McCain's vote for renewable energy would have ended the filibuster. On February 6, McCain did it again - went AWOL when the Democrats had 59 votes to add green jobs to the stimulus package. Not only that, but according to the Sierra Club, his office is lying about the vote, claiming that he voted for clean energy when he did not. TO
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Let There Be (Fluorescent) Light UCSUSA
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1 comment:
There are some who are posting mindless information, like coal gassification in another forum and criticizing you because they're too lazy to read. Thanks for the assortment of all sorts of information. We're pretty well insulated, efficient applicances, cfl's, heavy duty drapes, but didn't consider junk mail. Good idea.
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