Here is why I spend all of my time working on climate change issues and why we are gathering on the beach here in Southern California on October 24 in Manhattan Beach for 350.org International Day of Climate Action to demonstrate what sea level rise will do to us here on the West Coast:
Please watch this BBC video and learn what’s going on right now in your own world. You will be amazed and you will wonder why you never saw anything about this in the mainstream media.
This is the summer I totally got my groove on. And I have never been more all now or totally happening.
While lots of folks took the month of August off, or participated in the greatest display ever of America’s mental health crisis – by aggressively acting out in public Town Halls enraged over their own painful ignorance – your Creative Greenius has devoted 100% of my time to pro bono volunteer work that makes a difference.
I’ve never made less money or had a more rewarding time.
Continue reading ➞ Greenius Gets Groove On with Greenpeace & GRID Alternatives
As my beloved state of California’s driftless and leaderless economy was being driven deeper and deeper into the toilet by the least impressive occupants of Sacramento in modern history, I hopped in my del Sol Greeniusmobile and motored to downtown Los Angeles last month headed for the palatial headquarters of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the MTA.
I had ventured forth from the calm, cooling breezes of my mellow beach community because the treasure map I had recently discovered showed that over $600 million was available inside that building.
The treasure chest was cleverly disguised in the form of Federal stimulus money from the ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Imagine that.
While it’s sad but true that the entire gang in Sacramento can no longer figure out how to make California work, President Obama and his “Yes I Can” team do know what they’re doing. That’s why they have authorized over $7 billion bucks in energy efficiency and clean energy programs for the USA. And damned if California isn’t going to score like a horny Republican Governor on Viagra in Argentina.
After a decade in the solar power installation business, Bradley Bartz is tired of being Mr. Nice Guy. He’s tried the sugar and honey approach for ten years but instead of catching flies he’s caught hassles and obstructions from local Southern California city officials who haven’t kept up with modern technology and remain both ignorant and adversarial when it comes to helping their citizens go solar.
“Idiots!” is what Bartz calls them and he’s doing more than name calling. He’s filed suit against Torrance, the proud home of Exxon/Mobil’s refinery, for stopping him from installing solar panels in the Hillside Overlay district.
In this exclusive and wide-ranging interview with your Creative Greenius, the outspoken Bradley Bartz of ABC Solar shares the inside story of not only his legal suit against Torrance, but his broader plans to force cities to live up to the state’s California Solar Rights Act, his unique views on the California’s solar rebate program and his red tape experiences in dealing with Southern California Edison.
Continue reading ➞ Solar Smackdown in Torrance – Installer Sues City on Behalf of the Sun
And we’ll have fun, fun, fun, till daddy takes the Min-E Away
Reliable sources inform your Creative Greenius that Manhattan Beach is about to be named the first Southern California city to be part of BMW’s test of the new plug-in Mini E, the EV version of the popular Mini Cooper.
The local paper had a piece on April 26 that said MB was under consideration and outlining the unbeatable $10 a month cost of the cars.
Expect an official announcement after the Manhattan Beach city council approves the arrangement.
Continue reading ➞ Green Manhattan Beach Going Plug-In. Here Comes BMW’s Mini E!
That’s your Creative Greenius in the orange hardhat, and my buddy the Reverend Ron giving the Hang Loose salute, atop the roof of a Habitat for Humanity home we successfully installed a Solar PV system on. And when I say “we” I mean GRID Alternatives the non-profit whose mission is to empower communities in need by providing renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training.
That’s Steve from GRID on the far left. He’s a great guy, working for the modest Americorps paycheck he and the other GRID staff folks make. It was an honor to work with them and I can’t wait to do my next install with GRID.
Continue reading ➞ Greenius & Obama Celebrate Our First 100 Days!
As the climate change crisis goes from bad to worse (while the deniers get nuttier and more cult-like with each passing day) and Australia gives Californians an advanced sneak preview at what is without a doubt headed our way sooner than you expect, your Creative Greenius has only gotten more Fired Up, Ready to Go!
That’s right my friends, while others are cutting back, downsizing, slowing down and pulling back, your Creative Greenius is not only Ready to Go, I’m already going, baby, and I’m moving at Obama speed.
So buckle up and hang on while I take you for a little trip with the Greenius to the places I’ve been and the places I’m going…
The more time I spend with Lillian Light the more I admire, respect and flat out like her.
Our relationship started about a month ago when we spent an evening together carpooling to a UCLA workshop on communication climate change that we both participated in.
I wrote about our experience at the time in Greenius On The Green Scene The South Bay Report.
I dug Lillian right away. She speaks her mind, she knows what she’s talking about and she does more than just talk, she walks the environmental walk. Lillian is the real deal and a rare commodity in this world – authentic and genuine without the slightest hint of pretense or self-importance.
Lillian is also the President of the Environmental Priorities Network (EPN) and I wanted to learn more about them and more about Lillian herself. When I asked her if she’d agree to be interviewed for Creative Greenius she graciously agreed.
The South Bay region I live and work in covers an area of 161 square miles and encompasses 15 cities plus portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated portions of the County of Los Angeles.
The South Bay is defined by the LAX Airport to the north and the Port of Los Angeles to the south – two of the biggest polluters in Southern California.
Cities that make up the South Bay include: Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, and Torrance. The South Bay also includes the 15th District of the City of Los Angeles (the LA Strip) and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County.
The Exxon/Mobil refinery in Torrance and the Chevron refinery in El Segundo are both located in the South Bay and are each a big part of the carbon-based economy that causes the majority of climate change – although you’ll never get either of these corporations to admit this truth or take responsibility for it. They’re kind of funny that way.
Creative Greenius 