November 2009 – Creative Greenius

If You Love the Ocean Consider This… Then Do Something

November 30, 2009November 30, 2009climate change, Ocean, sea-level riseLeave a Comment

You don’t have to live in a beach community to love the ocean – or to grok how critical to our own survival healthy seas really are. No where else on our planet are the current impacts of global warming being felt more strongly.

That’s why I’m so happy to learn today that Oceana, the international ocean conservation group, is rolling out a new ad campaign tomorrow designed to influence policy makers arriving in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15), December 7 -18, 2009.

Their impossible to ignore ads spotlight the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 350 parts per million (ppm) to avert a mass extinction of corals and likely declines in the countless marine species that depend upon them, this century. If that’s too hard to understand, let me simplify it for you after the jump.

Continue reading ➞ If You Love the Ocean Consider This… Then Do Something

Top Ten Greenhouse Gasers in California Currently Destroying Your Childrens’ Future

November 25, 2009carbon producers, climate change, environment, fossil fuels, greenwashing, renewable energy, sea-level rise, Sustainability2 Comments

301ChevronRefineryElSegundoAug06S — Chevron Refinery, El Segundo, California

Here they are, folks, the very Hot List of Global Warming’s Worst Merchants of Death. The for-profit companies who put the money they rake in from burning fossil fuels ahead of the safety, welfare and well being of your kids, of your parents, of your grandparents and of everyone you hold near and dear.

They know exactly what lethal damage their products and their manufacture are responsible for, but the money always comes first for these contract killers – unless of course you’re asking them to pay the bill for that damage.

So let’s take a look, straight from our friends at the California Air Resources Board*, at the Top Emitters of Greenhouse Gases in California, for 2008. I’ve specially highlighted the three out of ten that are within just 10 miles of my home.

1. Chevron Refinery, Richmond: 4,792,052 metric tons
2. Shell Oil Refinery, Martinez: 4,570,475 metric tons

3. BP Refinery, Carson: 4,504,286 metric tons (9 miles from my house)

4. Chevron Refinery, El Segundo: 3,603,446 metric tons (8.4 miles from my house)

Continue reading ➞ Top Ten Greenhouse Gasers in California Currently Destroying Your Childrens’ Future

President Obama, Bill McKibben & I Want You To Man Up on Global Warming. It’s Time To Book Your Hotel In Copenhagen NOV 25 UPDATE: 1 Day Later Obama Says He’s Going

November 24, 2009November 25, 2009campaign, carbon producers, citizen volunteer, climate change, election, environment, environmental legislation, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, politics, Saving Energy, sea-level rise, solar power, Sustainability, Voters, Yes We Can!Leave a Comment

I voted for Barack Obama and I worked hard campaigning to get him elected. I would do it again and I’m proud of the small contribution I made to achieve change.

But I’m not happy with the President’s strategy or performance when it comes to our nation’s response to global warming. After the jump I’ll share what I said on Climate Progress about it yesterday, and you can read Bill McKibben’s comment there too.

But first, let’s listen to what McKibben told Grist TV yesterday about it:

Continue reading ➞ President Obama, Bill McKibben & I Want You To Man Up on Global Warming. It’s Time To Book Your Hotel In Copenhagen NOV 25 UPDATE: 1 Day Later Obama Says He’s Going

Hey, Torrance City Council! Was That $80,000 Check You Took From Exxon A Bribe? Hush Money? Or Did You Just Sell Your Soul?

November 23, 2009November 23, 2009carbon producers, climate change, environment, fossil fuels, politicsLeave a Comment

BREAKING NEWS: CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD JUST RELEASED BLOCKBUSTER GREENHOUSE GAS REPORT OF STATE’S WORST POLLUTERS AND GLOBAL WARMERS
TORRANCE EXXON REFINERY RANKS #6 IN CALIFORNIA, EL SEGUNDO CHEVRON REFINERY IS #4

Click on the breaking news above and you’ll finally get to see the greenhouse gas numbers on our two local climate changing refineries that I’ve been demanding for a year now. The CARB released them about an hour ago, too early for the morning papers, but not to early for your Creative Greenius.

I’ve been a little busy the past few months and I’ve fallen behind in covering some of the bigger environmental news stories locally here in my own backyard, but today we’re going to play catchup, big time –

Continue reading ➞ Hey, Torrance City Council! Was That $80,000 Check You Took From Exxon A Bribe? Hush Money? Or Did You Just Sell Your Soul?

A Dumbed Down Copenhagen For the Age of Stupid. It’s Time to Reach & Teach, Tell & Sell

November 16, 2009November 17, 2009campaign, citizen volunteer, climate change, environment, Yes We Can!2 Comments

With President Obama and the rest of the leaders of the world’s biggest polluting nations kicking the ball down the field on climate change and effectively pulling the rug out from under all of us who have been targeting the Copenhagen climate talks as the moment we must seize, our response must recognize the obvious.

Despite the historic gains we’ve made building the 350 movement across the planet in the past year, we have not captured the hearts and minds of the general public or the media.

We have the science and the scientists on our side, we have built a mighty coalition of activists, businesses, churches, schools and enlightened government representatives – but in the Age of Stupid, where cats who love cheeseburgers rule the Internet, and where polling both in the United States and in the United Kingdom show declining numbers of adults believe global warming is either man-made or a real threat, the sense of urgency is far greater for learning who the next winner of American Idol is than for switching to a new clean, green, carbon free economy. Go figure.

Continue reading ➞ A Dumbed Down Copenhagen For the Age of Stupid. It’s Time to Reach & Teach, Tell & Sell

Back to the Beach? We’ve Done the Amazing Waving Human Tide Line, Now LET’S DANCE!

November 14, 2009citizen volunteer, climate change, environment, Yes We Can!1 Comment

10,000 Dancers for the Climate with music by U2.

How did this happen? Read about it here.

Something big is happening all around the world.

Are you ready to be part of some more history making on the beach?

The clock is ticking…

TCKTCKTCK

Can you hear it?

Can you feel it?

Are YOU ready to dance?

Greenius Scores Free LED Holiday Lights from SBESC

November 13, 2009November 13, 2009citizen volunteer, climate change, energy efficiency, environment, renewable energy, Sustainability, Yes We Can!2 Comments

P1060329 — Creative Greenius, Joe Galliani, with his free LED lights from the South Bay Environmental Services Center Holiday Light Exchange

For the third consecutive year I was able to take advantage of the Holiday Light Exchange offered by my great friends at the South Bay Environmental Services Center. And they’ve still got plenty of these high quality GE mini white LEDs as well as the GE multi-colored LED sets available. But they always run out some time in November so you better move quick.

Continue reading ➞ Greenius Scores Free LED Holiday Lights from SBESC

Where We’ve Been, Where We’re At & Where We’re Going

November 9, 2009November 13, 2009citizen volunteer, climate change, energy efficiency, environment, environmental legislation, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, News Media, Ocean, renewable energy, Saving Energy, sea-level rise, Yes We Can!Leave a Comment

It’s my great honor to have written this update on our South Bay Los Angeles 350 Climate Action Group for the 350.org site where you will find it cross posted and currently on their homepage. I’m proud to be associated in any way with Bill McKibben, May Boeve, Matt Fitzgerald, Joe Solomon, Jamie Henn and every other organizer I’ve come in contact with from the 350 team.

20091024_115400_TN25glob — As part of the International Day of Climate Change on October 24, participants line up and do the wave for an airplane covering the event near the Manhattan Beach Pier. Organizers said 5,200 events were scheduled around the globe to mark the day. (Sean Hiller Daily Breeze Staff Photographer)

It’s exactly two weeks to the day since we surprised a whole lot of folks with an Amazing Waving Human Tide Line on our South Bay Los Angeles beach that stretched much further than any of us could see from the start of the line at the Manhattan Beach Pier.

It was indeed amazing, it was most definitely waving and it was filled with hundreds and hundreds of humans showing the world that we Southern Californians are anything but mellow or laid-back when it comes to demanding a 350 ppm CO2 target and the actions necessary to protect our children’s’ future survival.

The energy, buzz and sheer power of the 1,300 strong and very potent mix of people of every age, from every walk of life and from every rung on the ladder who made history on our beach is still reverberating throughout the community and down every hall of power on the local, regional, county, state and federal level. And we have no intention of letting those vibrations subside.

Continue reading ➞ Where We’ve Been, Where We’re At & Where We’re Going

Greenius Gets Serious About 350, Global Warming & the US Moral Obligation in Copenhagen

November 6, 2009November 6, 2009campaign, citizen volunteer, climate change, environment, environmental legislation, Environmental Politics, fossil fuels, greenwashing, Killer Coal, plug-in cars, Saving Energy, sea-level rise, solar power, Sustainability, Yes We Can!2 Comments

Here’s what was on my mind this morning at 11:30 am when I spoke with Tracy Young of CNN’s Headline News, Charter Local Edition.

This is the sneak preview of that interview. Photos and video clips from our historic October 24 Climate Action in Manhattan Beach will be added in post production. The interview will air multiple times starting on November 30 and running through December 6 – the day before the Copenhagen climate talks begin.