June 2009 – Creative Greenius

Exclusive Greenius Coverage of Today’s Clean Tech Roundtable

June 30, 2009June 30, 2009environmentLeave a Comment

P1040896 I attended today’s Bryan Cave Clean Tech Roundtable at the Broad Stage at Santa Monica College – thanks to my pal Donna Gentry.

It was a terrific day spent on Renewable Energy and if you follow my Twitter feed you got some of the highlights during the three hour agenda.

The agenda included: Bob Foster, Mayor of Long Beach; Jeremy Snyder, General Manager of Tesla Motors; Steve Westly, Former State Controller, Bobby Shriver from the Santa Monica City Council, John Chiang, the California State Controller; Bill Locker, the California State Treasurer and the once and future Governor of California, Jerry Brown.

Continue reading ➞ Exclusive Greenius Coverage of Today’s Clean Tech Roundtable

Ted Lieu Wants My Money, Wants My Vote, But Doesn’t Want To Talk About AB 920

June 28, 2009June 28, 2009campaign, climate change, election, environment, environmental legislation, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, politics, solar power6 Comments

I’m beginning to think that Ted Lieu only co-authored AB 920, the Feed-In Tariff bill as window dressing in order to try to pad his environmental resume.

Ted doesn’t talk about the bill in public, won’t put anything about it on his own web site, and looks down at his shoes and changes the subject if you ask him about the bill personally.

Why shouldn’t we conclude that Ted is practicing political greenwashing when he won’t show any backbone or courage and lobby on behalf of his own bill even when you ask him to?

Until Ted proves otherwise, that’s the conclusion I have reached. And in case you’re wondering, I’m a registered Democrat and a member of the Beach Cities Democratic Club, but fellow Democrat Lieu gets zero slack cut on this issue from me.

Ted Lieu used to be one of my city councilmen here in Torrance, but he didn’t stay local long because Ted had much bigger political ambitions than that.

Continue reading ➞ Ted Lieu Wants My Money, Wants My Vote, But Doesn’t Want To Talk About AB 920

Electric Company Too Scared To Tell Truth About Climate Change

June 26, 2009June 26, 2009carbon producers, climate change, environment, environmental legislation, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, green building, green education, greenwashing, Killer Coal, Saving Energy, solar power, Sustainability, Yes We Can!1 Comment

If SCE Won’t Tell The Truth About Climate Change Why Should We Trust Them About Anything?

I attended the Southern California Edison’s free Solar session for homeowners last night. I was there as a volunteer for the South Bay Environmental Services Center. After my volunteer stint was over I stayed for the presentation and workshop.

P1040773 Overall it was a good workshop with lots of solid basic information for people who don’t know much about solar but are considering a solar electric system. Javier Burgos, a Project Manager with the SCE’s California Solar Initiative program gave a nice, if overlong and overwordy PowerPoint presentation.

The workshop was very well attended with over 130 local people showing up. Their interest level was very high and they were a very attentive audience.

But it’s too bad Javier was too afraid to tell the truth about climate change to the people who came to his presentation hoping to get the facts and the straight story.

Continue reading ➞ Electric Company Too Scared To Tell Truth About Climate Change

Jane Harman Will Vote Yes on Climate Change Bill While Holding Her Nose

June 26, 2009June 26, 2009environment1 Comment

jane_harman I’ve been getting email after email from my friends at RePower America, MoveOn, League of Conservation Voters, the Apollo Alliance, Green Jobs for All and other smart, Green groups urging me to call my Congresswoman, Jane Harman to lobby her to vote for the historic climate change bill today in the House.

RePower America tells me Harman is wavering – but that’s not true.

Jane Harman feels exactly as I do. This climate bill is an essential first step. It’s been weakened and dumbed down by carbon-loving Democrats and the entire Republican Party and it’s not the bill it should be. But it’s far better than no bill or the homage to fossil fuels the GOP has embraced like the sellouts and carbon collaborators they are.

So don’t waste your time calling Jane Harman’s office because she already gets it. You’d be better off calling any Republican voting against this bill and telling them you will hold them personally responsible for the damage climate change does to your children and your grandchildren. Tell them you know that they’re in the pocket of big oil and coal and that no amount of money and power they’ve gotten for their vote is worth the shameless pro carbon response they’ve clung to.

Big Greenius Thanks to Diane Moss, Jane Harman’s Environmental Deputy, for setting the record straight on this. I met with Diane in her office last week and she’s been incredibly responsive and on top of the issues. Looking forward to writing more about her but meanwhile –

Here’s the press release from Harman’s office:

Continue reading ➞ Jane Harman Will Vote Yes on Climate Change Bill While Holding Her Nose

BREAKING NEWS: US Science Report Proves All Out Effort To Fight Climate Change Needed Right Now Or Everyone Is Screwed. Get It?

June 18, 2009June 23, 2009citizen volunteer, climate change, environment, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, News Media, politics, renewable energy, Saving Energy, Yes We Can!2 Comments

This is the cover of the report that was released by the The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) on Tuesday. If you click on the cover you can get the report.

You should have read a headline in your newspaper that was as strong and provocative as my headline above because that’s how strong and provocative this news is.

But your dying legacy newspaper didn’t get it. Neither did ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, HNN or any other major, mainstream outlet in the United States. If you’re getting your news from those sources and acting accordingly, then you my friend, are already toast. Burnt toast.

Continue reading ➞ BREAKING NEWS: US Science Report Proves All Out Effort To Fight Climate Change Needed Right Now Or Everyone Is Screwed. Get It?

Superstars of AB 811 Rock Palm Desert @ EcoMotion Conference

June 16, 2009June 18, 2009climate change, environment, green building, renewable energy, Saving Energy, solar power, water conservation, Yes We Can!5 Comments

Part I – Burning Man’s Got Nothing On This “World Changing Revolutionary Movement”

P1040634 — Left: Bob Williams, Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets Right: Cisco DeVries, Renewable Funding

You know you’re at some kind of special conference when all the sessions seem to end way too soon and the eight hour agenda blasts by like the all star jam session at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame dinner.

But that’s the way it felt to the Creative Greenius as I covered the EcoMotion Palm Desert AB 811 Conference on Friday at the University of California Riverside Graduate Center. Admittedly I am a geek when it comes to AB 811 type programs that give people loans to put solar on their roof and add energy efficiency to their homes. And I tend to get a little fired up when I’m around people who actually make things happen instead of just pontificating about it. Imagine that…

EcoMotion’s President, Ted Flanigan made sure Friday was one of those rare days filled with all substance and no smoke, mirrors or dog & pony shows. What an exhilarating difference a well organized and smartly thought-out lineup can make. Just ask Los Angeles Lakers Basketball fans.

Continue reading ➞ Superstars of AB 811 Rock Palm Desert @ EcoMotion Conference

Solar Powered Greenius Producing Massive South Bay Energy

June 11, 2009June 12, 2009citizen volunteer, climate change, electric cars, environment, environmental legislation, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, green building, plug-in cars, politics, renewable energy, Saving Energy, solar power, Sustainability, Yes We Can!5 Comments

Marilyn Lyon of the SBESC with your Creative Greenius at the PV Street Fair June 7

As our climate change crisis worsens and spins out of control with each passing day there’s no time to spare for those of us whose job it is to educate and motivate our fellow citizens to actions that cut our greenhouse gas emissions. I’m talking about committed environmental journalist/activists like myself who believe we have a responsibility to play more than a stenographers role in covering the single greatest threat to our civilization of our lifetimes.

That’s just one reason I spent 12 hours on behalf of the South Bay Environmental Services Center talking to people at the Palos Verdes Street Fair last weekend. And when you hear the questions folks ask at events like these you instantly realize just how little people know and understand about what’s happening to our climate and their world. Most have no idea. It’s not their fault either – their local governments and the mainstream media have failed them big time. That’s certainly the case here in Torrance, California where I live and work.

The good news is that positive things ARE happening and our efforts are starting to make a difference. It’s all happening excruciatingly too slowly of course, and at the pace we’re currently on we are quite simply as doomed as doomed can be – but in the meantime it IS starting to happen and the first signs of momentum are now starting to show. As all Lakers and NBA fans know, if you’ve got Mr. Momentum wearing your jersey you’re going to go on a scoring run. It’s a slam dunk.

Continue reading ➞ Solar Powered Greenius Producing Massive South Bay Energy