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Alternative Energy

The Story of Broke: Why There's Still Plenty of Money to Build a Better Future

The United States isn’t broke; we’re the richest country on the planet and a country in which the richest among us are doing exceptionally well. But the truth is, our economy is broken, producing more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other country. In these and so many other ways, it just isn’t working. But rather than invest in something better, we continue to keep this ‘dinosaur economy’ on life support with hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money. The Story of Broke calls for a shift in government spending toward investments in clean, green solutions—renewable energy, safer chemicals and materials, zero waste and more—that can deliver jobs AND a healthier environment. It’s time to rebuild the American Dream; but this time, let’s build it better.

A long-term view of climate change

Tim Flannery

Dr. Tim Flannery is an Australian mammalogist, paleontologist, environmentalist, professor and global warming activist. He was named Australian of the Year in 2007.

Flannery explains that over the last 10,000 years humanity has built a “super-organism” – a level of organization similar to that of ants, termites, or bees. The glue that holds the super-organism together is the division of labor, interdependence. As “we form this one great super-organism, where we are all interconnected, we gain the capacity to deal with environmental challenges.” Flannery sees international progress in addressing climate change and expects more in the future.
Source: Dr. Tim Flannery: A Natural History of the Planet


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End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council. Kennedy was in San Francisco to promote The Last Mountain, a new film that features his efforts to end mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia. Dirty fuels should be forced to cover their full costs, Kennedy says. Dirty fuels cannot compete without subsidies. Kennedy argues our democracy is broken, and the campaign finance system is a system of legalized bribery.
Source: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council



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Living Through the Next Fifty Years

Mark Hertsgaard

Mark Hertsgaard talks with Terrence McNally. Mark Hertsgaard is a fellow of The Open Society Institute and The Nation's environment correspondent. He has covered climate change for twenty years and is the author of six books, including, most recently, HOT: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth. Terrence McNally is a journalist and radio host.
Source: Q&A: Mark Hertsgaard, Author
 

Wendell Berry
Paul Epstein

From Living on Earth, the Costs of Coal

If the true costs of the full lifecycle of coal were taken into account, this form of energy would be extremely expensive.

Extraction, processing, transportation and combustion of coal create large tolls on the environment and human health. We hear from poet and farmer Wendell Berry who slept in the Kentucky governor’s office to protest mountaintop removal. Host Bruce Gellerman also talks with Dr. Paul Epstein from Harvard University’s Medical School about his new study measuring the true costs of coal.
Source: Costs of Coal

Juan Cole

The Corruption Game

Juan Cole, a professor of history and director of the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Michigan, talks about U.S. government backing of corrupt dictatorships around the world.
Source: The Corruption Game


Bill McKibben

Pressure Cooking

Bill McKibben discusses the U.S. government's apathetic attitude toward global warming and that this forces the public to lead the fight against global warming.
Source: Pressure Cooking

Music includes Earth Anthem, La Rosita, Janis Joplin Me And Bobby Mcgee, Love Peace, Requiem For A Dream, Sweet Sir Galahad, Don't Let Me Down, We'll Meet Again

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Iraqi Mass Deception and U.S. Moral Panic

Peter B. Collins interviews Scott A. Bonn

The book “Mass Deception” connects propaganda and distortions by the Bush administration to elite deviance and state crimes and violations of international criminal law. Dr. Bonn's book illustrates how those in the highest seats of power deceived and manipulated ordinary, hard-working, trusting Americans. Those Americans then sent their sons and daughters to fight in needlessly wars.
Source: Peter B. Collins on January 10, 2011, Bush’s Rehtoric and Lies Produced “Mass Deception”
 

Capturing Geothermal Energy

What if, right below our feet, we had enough potential clean energy to keep the U.S. supplied for thousands years? That's what the U.S. Department of Energy calculates. But there's a catch: we have to get to all that potential geothermal power. Reporter: Craig Miller. From the California Report.
Source: The California Report, 33x20: Capturing Geothermal Energy

Wellstone Progressive Dems CDP Platform Meeting

Building a Progressive California Democratic Party Platform

The Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento (PDA) held a meeting on Saturday, Jan. 9th to discuss improvements to the CA Democratic Party (CDP) Platform. All area Progressive Democrats were invited by Wellstone President Tamie Dramer and Political Affairs Chair Chris Niehaus to help shape the Party's Platform. CDP Platform Committee member Christine Thomas started off with a brief overview of the committee. CDP Progressive Caucus Chair (and PDA NorCal co-coordinator) Karen Bernal spoke about the need for Progressives in California to change the Party and how we can use our numbers to improve our platform. The room overflowed with attendees that took on issues such as Health Care, the Environment, Energy, Labor, Economic Justice, Poverty Elimination, Education & Criminal Justice.

Sustainable Sacramento

On January 21st, Slow Food Sacramento and Pesticide Watch Education Fund will host Sustainable Sacramento, an annual celebration of Sacramento residents and organizations that have worked hard to make the region healthier and more livable in 2009. Award recipients include:

Harvest Sacramento - A regional volunteer effort to glean and supply fresh produce to local food banks, harvesting over 18,700 pounds of food in 2009, supported by Soil Born Farms & The Sacramento Food Bank

Hot Italian - This restaurant has modeled sustainability with a LEED certified building, large-scale composting facilities, as well as local and organic food

GEO Program - A high school program that has pioneered efforts to teach business education coupled with health education

Also speaking at the event will be Sheng Yang, author of "Cooking from the Heart," the first comprehensive Hmong cookbook in America.

WHEN: January 21, 2010, 6-9pm

WHERE: Hot Italian - 1627 16th Street (16th & Q St), Sacramento

COST: $35/person; Tickets available here

In Solidarity,
Paul Schramski Towers, State Director

Happy New Years!

Here are my favorite quotes from the 12/27/09 Sacramento Bee.

"California has the opportunity to be a leader in the green revolution – by showing how to make buildings more energy efficient, designing more efficient transmission lines, developing a better battery, reducing the cost of solar power, being a pioneer in technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a hundred other possibilities."

- Stephen Levy is director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto.
- Special to The Bee, Published Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009
- http://www.sacbee.com/198/story/2420552.html

Solar Cooking Workshop in Sacramento

Solar cooking workshop Sun. June 7th from 2 to 4 PM

Have fun with the Sun: If you like great food, saving time, money and energy while doing something good for the planet, then this is your chance to do all of them. Its as simple as solar cooking your food and it's easy and fun. You can learn how at our solar cooking workshop on June 7th. A couple of experienced solar cooks will share how these cookers are making a difference in the world and how you can make a difference using one at home.

We will have hands on demonstrations, food to taste and cookers for sale. You will be able to go home and start cooking after this informative workshop. We will cover all the basics and go over some more advanced cooking ideas.

It will be held in the downstairs meeting room of the church building at 24th and K Streets, enter from the 24th Street side. There will be a fee of $10 to cover use of the facility and the solar cooked food. If anyone plans to attend please call the office and put your name on the list so we will know how much food to buy and cook. The phone number is: 916.448.6508, people may also contact me by email (pathfinder AT omsoft DOT com .

Tesla Unveils All-Electric Sedan, But Needs Federal Loan for Factory to Build It

Tesla Unveils All-Electric Sedan, But Needs Federal Loan for Factory to Build It
And, in related news, Obama forces GM's CEO to step down in advance of federal auto-industry bailout for Detroit
Can we put one and one together here please?...

Blogged by Brad Friedman on 3/29/2009 8:51PM

Tesla Motors revealed its all-electric Model S sedan last week in Los Angeles. At half the price of its Roadster model, which was $109,000, the Model S will be priced at $49,900 after tax credits ($57,400 before such credits). "After factoring in savings on gas," Tesla points out, that's "comparable to a $35,000 Ford sedan," the New York Times reports. A blog item from the Times describes the Model S as "sleek, sporty and sexy."

Tesla hopes the price tag will come down to "less than $30,000," as the price "will presumably go down as the technology improves." They plan the manufactured version to get 300 miles to a single charge, with a 45-minute recharge time.

The dirty green line


The dirty green line
Erecting new transmission lines for solar and wind power is a boon to coal-burning utilities and a drain on our wallets. What's an environmentalist to do?
By Katharine Mieszkowski - Mar. 23, 2009 | Salon.com

With a boost of billions in the economic stimulus plan, the White House plans to double the nation's supply of renewable energy in the next three years. There's big talk in Congress of creating a national renewable-energy standard, which would mandate that utilities get a chunk of their power from green sources like solar, wind and geothermal. So long dirty energy, hello green future.

Yet as renewable energy finally takes its place as a national priority, a tripwire lurks in the rosy scenario: transmission lines. No less an authority than President Obama is promoting the goal of building thousands of miles of new transmission lines to move power from the Great Plains and Mojave Desert to the nation's energy-hungry cities and 'burbs. And he's got plenty of political might behind him.

Truth About The Pickens Plan | ZapRoot

Truth About The Pickens Plan | ZapRoot

HINT: It's all about the water. A land grab to get the water rights. More valuable than oil or wind energy...

Rally for Clean Energy

Clean Energy Rally at Lungren Town Hall

MoveOn.org Political Action and Peace in the Precincts

What: Rally and report delivery on how much John McCain’s oil company handouts will cost California’s energy future
Who: Local members of MoveOn.org and Peace in the Precincts
Where: La Sierra Community Auditorium, 5325 Engle Rd. Carmichael
When: Tuesday, August 19, 6:00 pm

Move On members and Peace in the Precincts to protest at
Lungren’s Town Hall:
No More Cash for Big Oil Companies –
Invest Money in Clean Energy Here
Ending the Iraq War

Petition delivery at Lungren's office

Did you know that Dan Lungren says he takes money from the oil industry and he admits he would take more if he could get it?

Join us tomorrow as we deliver over 900 signatures demanding a cheap and clean energy future. Let's get a large group out there!

You can RSVP here:
http://political.moveon.org/event/cleanenergydelivery/48694

WHO: MoveOn Members from Sacramento & Suburbs

WHAT: Call for an End to Republican Big Oil Stunt on Capitol Hill

WHERE: Dan Lungren’s Office, 2339 Gold Meadow Way, Suite 220, Gold River

WHEN: Thursday, August 7th, at 2:00 pm