Global Warming

Dr. James Hansen, a leading scientist on climate change, has stated that he believes the top executives in oil companies such as ExxonMobil should be charged with high crimes against humanity and nature. This is not because of the fact that the CEO's sell oil, but because he believes that they tried to spread doubt about global warming and its effects, as well as obstructing action.

I believe that if this case went through, (correct me if I'm wrong) it would be the first time that someone was charged with a "high crime against nature." High crimes against humanity were used in the past more for war crimes and leaders that caused genocides. I guess one could argue that global warming, which in the end could cause massive extinctions, may be on par or even worse than genocides.

However, these CEO's are not solely responsible for global warming. They sell the oil - the public uses it. They don't force anyone to emit greenhouse gases. Additionally, though they may have tried to spread doubt about the process of global warming, the research was out for the public for many many years. The execs may have delayed the reaction to global warming, but all of us have some accountability.

Still, imprisoning the executives would not really benefit the situation currently occurring. Rather, it seems like a government's way of putting the blame away from itself. The federal government has its own top scientists and climatologists. If it had really wanted to act on global warming, it should have done so, knowing the oil companies have their own agendas.

Instead of looking to the past and trying to find scapegoats for the problems we are experiencing, the U.S. government should focus more of its time and energy on cutting down carbon/other greenhouse gas emissions (which we still don't have a satisfactory plan about).

Costa Rica has declared that it will go carbon neutral by 2021. To meet that challenge, energy officials from the Central American nation have gone on a fact-finding tour of the United States, seeking out the best practices that can be incorporated in Costa Rica. UC Berkeley's Center for Latin American Studies is hosting a talk by Minister Dobles on Costa Rica’s efforts to mitigate carbon emissions at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 19 in Room 554, Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley Campus in Berkeley, California. The event is free and should last one hour.

This talk is part of the series of talks the Center for Latin American Studies has coordinated with the National Resources Defense Council for the delegation’s visit to Berkeley, focusing on global strategies for carbon neutrality, methods for reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and the building of partnerships for future collaborations.

Roberto Dobles is the Costa Rican Minister of the Environment and Energy.

More information can be found at http://www.clas.berkeley.edu:7001/Events/index.html#current
or by calling UC Berkeley's Center for Latin American Studies at 510-642-2088.

*This post was written by Christina DesVaux, a friend of Conscious Lifestyle. You can learn more about her year in Montevideo, at "cdesvaux.wordpress.com.""

I was recently invited to be a guest lecturer at the University of Montevideo, in a seminar entitled Communication and Fashion. I am living in Montevideo, Uruguay for the year as aRotary Ambassadorial Research Scholar. I am taking courses at the University of Montevideo, in their School of Business and Entrepreneurial Studies. My research project will focus on female Uruguayan artisans and the North American based fair-trade organizations that buy from them.

Using Conscious Lifestyle (and its President, Michael Del Ponte) as a resource, the class and I engaged in a cross-cultural discussion of Fashion and Culture, looking at its macro contexts of Politics and Ecology. I was encouraged by the high level of participation and the insight into Uruguayan culture. There were some differences of note, especially in regards to the use of fashion to affect political change. The women in the class did not think that in Uruguay messaging on T-shirts was as effective as actual participation. That is to say, buying a shirt with a socio-political message did not hold the weight that perhaps it does in the States. More different still was the current U.S obsession with limiting our "clothing footprint." It was decided that usually ideas like organic vs. synthetic, green vs. traditional lifestyles don´t hold the cultural clout here like the seem to do elsewhere. Buying from up-and-coming designers, neighborhood markets, and other non-corporate brands seemed to be a better expression of "purchasing power."

What we did share was the idea that fashion speaks to cultural values and is a way in which we can express our self and our context. In the upcoming weeks we will discuss how fashion can act as an effective and thoughtful tool of personal expression. A summary of future classes will be posted on the course's blog.

Photo from GOOD Magazine's article "(Not) Ironic T-Shirts."

Microsoft and Apple, two enormous multinational corporations, have always been competing to churn out the latest popular products. These rival companies wield tremendous power, with Microsoft at 80,000 employees and an annual revenue of 50 billion dollars, and Apple slowly catching up at 20,000 employees and 25 billion.

Consumers compare the products' designs, aesthetics, models, convenience, adaptability, storage space, and of course, prices. However, what about the eco-friendliness of each corporation?

According to GreenPeace, on a scale from 1 to 10, Apple hovers at a 6.7 and Microsoft is down at the bottom of the scale at a 4.7. The companies are ranked based upon chemicals policy, takeback practices, and recycling.

Greenpeace.org

Microsoft scores high on phasing out the harmful substances PVC and BFR by 2010, but earns a 0 for takebacks or providing information to individual customers. In addition, it currently does not have any PVC-free or BFR-free models.

Apple earns full marks for the phasing out of the hazardous chemicals by 2008, and recycling, while receiving mediocre scores for the rest of the categories. The company has set a goal of recycling 30% of its weight of products sold by 2010.

So far, it seems Apple takes the lead. According to its website (Apple), products are refined to maximize efficiency and reduce waste. Of course, consumers appreciate the sleekness of the design as well. Additionally, many all Apple desktop and portable computers have earned the Energy Star rating for energy efficiency. The company has extensive takeback programs that dispose of used software in a safe and environmentally friendly way. In 2006, it recycled 13 million pounds of waste, including paper, foam, and batteries.

Because of its efforts, Apple was named a "Forward Green Leader" by the Sierra Club, meaning it is one of the top ten environmentally progressive companies.

Microsoft has also taken many steps to become a "greener" corporation. In 2005, it began a packing purge of PVC, eliminating 1.5 million pounds of the material. It promoted efforts to slow global warming by joining with the Clinton Foundation and Climate Savers. LOHAS Online

The company is currently developing an interesting program called the Environmentally Sustainable Dashboard. In a nutshell, this dashboard allows smaller companies affiliated with Microsoft to track their direct and indirect energy consumption, and direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Microsoft

Apparently, Microsoft even has its own blog for environmental sustainability, called
Shades of Blue and Green

Even though Apple is ahead of Microsoft in its takeback policies and energy efficiency, Microsoft has addressed the problem of global warming more than its competitor. Climate Counts Both corporations still have a ways to go. We, the consumers, are really the ones that can have leverage to create more change.

For example, a campaign for "a greener Apple" is being launched at
Greenmyapple

Yes, we are all individuals, but we are the customers that Apple and Microsoft depend on. Through our voices, we can influence these massive companies to continue to develop sustainable policies.

The image above is from E-Wallpapers.

The inventor of the technology behind thin film solar, the hydrogen fuel cell, and the batteries used in hybrid cars spoke at UC Berkeley on Tuesday, April 8. In addition to his scientific achievements, which have led to 350 patents, and to Stan Ovshinsky being called "the modern world's most important energy visionary," Stan has been deeply concerned with the intersection between the environment, jobs, and development. Video and a podcast of his talk can be found at
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=23036

Ovshinsky's main arguments in his talk sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley are that "Science must be value-driven," and that we have to act now to reverse global climate change.

Around the 25th minute of the webcast, he talks about how "It's not a fad to think about the environment. It's not something you do to make yourself feel like you're doing something right. It's an absolute necessity." Ovshinsky, an 85-year-old self-taught inventor, then goes into how he developed many of the breakthrough technologies in solar, hydrogen fuel cell, nickel metal hydride batteries, and even the field of physics that makes writeable CDs and DVDs possible.

Stan Ovshinsky is given 2 introductions, and his talk begins about 21 minutes into the webcast.

For more information, see the webcast at http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=23036
And UC Berkeley’s Center for Latin American Studies at http://clas.berkeley.edu

The Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy is sponsoring a nationwide essay contest for college students between the ages of 18 and 24 asking them to submit a plan on renewable energy, sustainability, and conservation for America. Each of three winners will receive an educational prize of $10,000 to coincide with the celebration of Earth Day in April.

But hurry: the essay is due by February 1, 2008. You can enter online here.

Students are asked to write a four- to six-point renewable energy plan for America, laying out a strategy for the next five to ten years that will minimize our current dependence on nonrenewable energy sources.

The essay contest grew out of a November 17, 2007, forum in which presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich spoke about global warming and America’s energy future. The event, sponsored by Grist and PRI’s Living on Earth, was presented by the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy in partnership with League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, California LCV Education Fund, Center for American Progress Action Fund, and NRDC Action Fund.

Good luck!

Focus The Nation is an educational initiative on global warming solutions for America occurring at more than 1,000 universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations, and businesses, in all 50 states on Jan. 31, 2008.

The teach-in has two goals: to formulate policy solutions that can be implemented immediately; and to explore a new model of collaborative, interdisciplinary education on a national scale, needed to tackle the interconnected social, environmental, and political issues of climate change.

Attendees will participate in workshops and panels, brainstorming global warming solutions. Each Focus team will invite local, state, and federal political leaders and decision-makers to participate in a non-partisan, round-table discussion of global warming solutions. Every institution will also vote on its top five national priorities for global warming action, producing a campus- and citizen-endorsed policy agenda for 2008.

There’s still time to get involved – learn how at the Focus the Nation web site.

Want to find out how much carbon your local power plant—or one in Neyveli, India, or perhaps Duvha, South Africa—is spewing out? Now, you can, using a new interactive map that helps you make informed decisions on which polluters need to reduce emissions.

Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA), a massive database containing information on the carbon emissions of more than 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide, was unveiled last week. It is the first global inventory of a major emissions-producing sector of the economy accounting for 40% of all carbon emissions in the United States and about one-quarter of global emissions. Data from CARMA will allow concerned citizens, investors, consumers, and environmentalists to pressure top polluters to clean up their acts, worldwide.

CARMA is produced and financed by the Confronting Climate Change Initiative at the Center for Global Development, an independent and non-partisan think tank located in Washington, D.C.

To try it out, visit carma.org.

Students from Hunter College recently took a trip to Staten Island to educate Ferry-riders on the perils of global warming.

...and they were dressed as polar bears...

so, I like this project for two reasons.

A) these students are approaching a serious topic with their tongue planted firmly in cheek.

In the wake of sobering films like An Inconvenient Truth and 11th Hour, it is beginning to feel as though we are getting a little wrapped up in the "doom and hellfire" rhetoric of the global warming dialogue. Which is not to say that the severity of the situation needs to be downplayed...not at all. But a little humor never hurts. So when something like this rolls around, a youtube flick that is both thoughtful AND funny, I feel like we are on the right track.

B) dude, sweet vid

Seriously, I'm totally impressed with the effort put into post-production here. As far as I'm concerned, all student activity should be documented as thoroughly and cleverly... It is built-in PR, and it rocks.

Conscious Lifestyle's partner, Youth Venture, has teamed up with the organization Step It Up to promote their national Day of Action for global warming on November 3. As an organization, they are calling for leadership on global warming hoping that people will act locally and start a national movement. Click on Step It Up for more information.