Topic: Renewable Energy

Munday Message: No “contract” renewal

September 19, 2008 |

After the eight years that George Bush spent ignoring the U.S. economy, investment banks and mortgage companies that hold a majority of the nation’s home mortgages have either faltered or outright collapsed.

On Monday morning, news spread that 158 year-old investment bank Lehman Brothers was closing shop, following the pain that already hit Main St. when Bush came to office.

John McCain, who Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden aptly calls Bush 44, defiantly said the “fundamentals” of the U.S. economy are strong.  Workers in America have known for some time now that something is fundamentally wrong with the way the U.S. economy has been mismanaged and ignored.

Eight years of protecting inflated CEO salaries and record oil company profits without radical reinvestment in renewable energy has resulted in a Republican Party known for ignoring rising gas prices.

A losing record in football never results in a renewed contract for the head coach.

Note: Author Wade Munday is the news communication spokesperson for the Democratic Party.

Sections: Issues, News, Opinion, Politics | No Comments

A plea for Planet Earth

May 3, 2008 |

On April 14, 2008, James Hansen of NASA Goddard Institute and Columbia University Earth Institute wrote the following letter to Governor Jim Gibbons (Nevada) as a “Plea for Leadership” in the battle against global warming, a battle to save Planet Earth. We thought this “plea,” this request for stewardship, was worth repeating. For the complete document (including “Fossil Fuel Facts” referenced within) and supportive documentation on this issue, please check out http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20080414_GovernorGibbons.pdf

Dear Governor Gibbons,

I hope that I may communicate with you as a fellow parent and grandparent about a matter that will have great effects upon the lives of our loved ones. I refer to climate change, specifically global warming in response to human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) and other pollutants.

Governor Gibbons, the scientific advances in just the past few years, paradoxically, carry both bad news and good news. We have already passed the threshold of atmospheric CO2 levels that we can allow to exist over the long-term. Mother Nature, as a friend of mine has noted, is wagging her finger at us, saying “Now you have gone too far!” Consequences of ignoring this admonishment would be dire. The Earth is nearing climate “tipping points” with potentially irreversible effects, including extermination of countless species, ice sheet disintegration and sea-level rise, and mass dislocation of populations. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion | 1 Comment »

American Road Show: SolarFest 2007

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 29, 2007 |

As I move about northern Vermont, with its rustic charm and innovative quirks, I stumbled across the upcoming SolarFest 2007 (July 14-15), an earth-friendly energy and music festival that draws about 4,000 people to the Forget-Me-Not farm in Tinmouth. Powered by the sun and bio-diesel fuel, the entire festival last year generated a walloping single trash bag of waste — EVERYTHING was recycled, composted or otherwise renewed.

Created in 1995, this non-profit has a microscopic bare bones administrative staff and a core of dedicated sponsors and volunteers promoting the best performing artists of the region and most importantly, the building of sustainable, earth friendly communities. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments