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May 12, 2008 Last week we asked whether there was enough courage and smarts in the United States to respond to the economic, environmental, and political peril we face. Is America capable of writing a new compact with its people that sees the public interest as having greater priority than serving the private interest. That represents a sharp departure in the governing and cultural direction that nation pursued over the last quarter century. Your responses clearly indicated America is ready for a change that sees clean energy and good jobs as central to our greatness in this century. Running in Wisconsin I am running for the 50th District Assembly in WI on the platform of turning our state into a model of sustainable economic development and home grown/harvested energy and food. I know we can become virtually self sufficient in energy and food, right here in WI. The other issues are equally important, but this one is the key that unlocks the rest. We're winning. Support Unions and Made in America The opportunity will be seized when America faces up to the fact that the American labor unions are the ones with the experience to pull us out of such perils. In the 1980's, I had the opportunity to work with union workers on the Atlas rocket launch pads on the Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Cold War with the Soviet Union was still on. America demanded the best for national security then, and America should demand the best now with such perils facing our planet. Made in America is a good thing. If we have to resort to foreign labor to make the changes necessary to for our climate , then once again american labor suffers. We can do it by putting our own people to work. A win-win as I see it. The outsourcing of manufacturing, along with the research and development of scientific and engineering work, is a modern day version of cannibalism. The multinational companies under the umbrella of 'globalism' and international trade, lacking any leadership from Washington, are stripping this country of its ability to survive, and transforming it into a passive consumer. Like all Faustian bargains, the trade off initially, is beguiling. It is only after we have discovered that we no longer have the means to clothe ourselves and that our babies are relying on foreign labor to produce their diapers, never mind underwear for adults, that we realize that the bargain was a bad one. I have been doing my part in keeping the earth green for many years. I am interested in a green job. Although I have worked full time for many years in various positions, as I get older I feel a need to do what I feel passionate about. I have a B. S. degree in Urban Studies and would like to learn how to get trained for a career in the environmental industry. I believe I can make a difference and would like the opportunity. The big question is whether America is ready to really face up to the peril. It is. At least in regards to the automobile industry. The technology exist and with government laws encouraging immediate technology change, in my opinion, in two to six years we all should be running cars making 150 MPG and more. The same technology can be applied to housing and buildings with light modifications. We can hopefully get the jobs to be created here, not overseas. Only in America is it a novel idea to employ Americans. But don't forget to be farsighted enough to anticipate the effects of global warming and plan for it. There is a very great possibility that our coasts and the large cities that populate them could end up underwater as the glaciers and poles melt. If we don't anticipate that possibility we may see a lot of our efforts go glub, glub glub!Try to anticipate the worst case scenarios and see what can be done to minimize the effects if they happen. One really scary report is that the melting is happening a lot faster than scientist originally thought. That means that our cities could be Venice, USA a lot sooner than we think. Many bright people like a good challenge and here is the greatest challenge man has faced yet. So, let's not build any new New Orleans (disasters waiting to happen). But rising oceans are far from our only troubles, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, drought, fire and what not are all evils to consider when planning. Try not to see any as a minimal threat. Need For Education The two main costs which schools cannot contain are energy and healthcare. These are not the result of poor management. As with any business or government agency, these costs eat into the schools' budgets for the classroom. I believe that the energy costs could mobilize support for fueling schools with clean energy and insulating them to reduce waste. This could be part of a nationwide initiative that would provide not only jobs, but local support for building a more sustainable, earth friendly economy. Local schools, particularly in small towns and suburbs, are the center of community life. In cities that dynamic is different, but people still want their children's school to prosper. People have a vested interest in supporting their local school. Communities would recognize the benefit of investing in the infrastructure that would be required to retrofit their schools. There are a number of challenges to promoting this kind of project. The most significant one is money. An initiative of this scale would require a commitment from the federal government -- a commitment of dollars as a long-term investment. And it would require coordination on many different levels --precisely the kind of collaborative efforts which the Apollo Alliance is fostering. Despite the challenges, if the initiative was marketed as a means to build for the future and reduce costs, people would recognize the benefit and work together to make it happen. The allegiance of legislative leaders could be gained by helping them recognize that supporting this kind of long-term, local effort buys them votes. People are eager for good, even heroic leadership. People are tired of being divided, and anxious about their lives and the future. Students are already far more aware and excited about the challenges to our earth's environment. Tapping into that energy is a great way to mobilize support. And their school and community would benefit. Answer in Restoration We need to take care of the animals at the same time we work to mitigate the effects of climate change. We need to mobilize green collar jobs, restoring at least 2 million acres of tallgrass prairie to start. And get people back outside learning and working together. Nobody has thought about green collar jobs that rebuild ecosystems, huh! Tallgrass prairie is the most endangered major ecosystem in North America, and our native wildlife populations are crashing, especially international migrating birds, and butterflies. Tallgrass prairie also sequesters carbon excellently. In fact, it outperforms temperate forests overall because native grasslands don't hold heat. But their roots will hold at least 8,000 years of carbon We are so missing the point when we neglect to build a restoration economy. We have to repair the Earth's ecosystems too, not just put solar panels on our built world. We share this planet with a jungle of life that is gasping for some space and chance at a future too! And no place has suffered as much bloodshed, suffering and sorrow, yet offers itself as such a model for healing and renewal, as the devastated prairies and plains of America. Yeah you heard me right. I'm talking about "Flyover Country," the place everybody else has left for dead. Ecological health means taking care of people, animals, and ecosystems all at the same time, interconnected. Rail Makes Sense to Dulles When Bill Clinton was first elected President and the administration was talking about a rail alternative, and especially light rail I wrote him suggesting that a simple first step might be to complete the light rail that runs down the center of U.S. Interstate Highway 66 the final couple of miles to connect it to Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, D.C. In subsequent trips to the city I instead observed that the median was torn up to create additional lanes for the Interstate. Dulles is served by a couple of Interstates and a tollway, but it doesn't connect yet (to my knowledge) with Washington's excellent subway system. The first superhighway in America was the Pennsylvania turnpike, and it ran over the already graded roadbed of a railway that failed, and set the standard for the Interstates that followed, including no grades over 3 percent. We can turn back the clock by using Interstate medians to construct either light or high speed rail networks to serve passengers and package freight using the already existing Interstate medians. The reason this hasn't happened is that automakers have been at war with the rails since day 1. General Motors, early in its history, lobbied heavily to replace tram lines with buses, and in some cases actually bought streetcar lines just to get them out of the streets. Editor's note: The federal government last month approved funding a Metro extension from Washington to Dulles International airport. Gotta Be Able To Do Better It seems as though many are working to pay for some type of energy; gasoline, natural gas, electricity and so on. I believe in the ingenuity and entrepreneurial instincts of the American people. We are so much smarter than to be in the position we now find ourselves. I am proud that organizations such as yours are sounding the alarms bells. We could all take a look into the eyes of our kids and see a bright future if we deal with the issues of stewardship as adults. We owe that much to the ones that will come behind us. So, with all that said, I believe some real good will come of the overpriced fuels that we are now being gouged by. Alternative energy is out there and will be used once all the facts are trumpeted out to our brethren nationwide. We can, should and will be better off for it. Having recently started a new business to help homeowners 'green' their homes, I have begun talking to lots of individuals about the environment and going 'green'. I get enthusiastic responses from people in all walks of life. Despite the politicians putting global warming on the back burner for awhile, the general public seems to be waking up. I am a member of the local branch of the USGBC (US Green Building Council) and attendance at our meetings is growing dramatically. I have attended events such as 'green bike rides' and 'green living conferences'. Attendance at those events was great and I did not have a spare moment all day as I fielded questions on basic ways to get started. My husband and I both drive hybrids and now hardly a day goes by that someone doesn't ask about what it's like to drive and the fuel economy. This interest by the general public is new, enthusiastic and growing.The biggest issue is that people don't know what to do or how to do it. I can use my own home as an example of how you can take action without seriously changing your lifestyle, but sadly most changes do cost money. Many local governments offer rebates for energy efficient systems, but even changing your light bulbs is expensive. We need to find a way to make it cost efficient to get the poorest people on board, the ones that need the energy savings the most. I can't explain why the naysayers held sway for so long. I have always thought that opportunities for new business abounded in the green industry. Thankfully it appears to finally be our time in the sun! (Sorry, couldn't resist). The new President of the United States in 2009 will face challenges never before experienced by our society. Those challenges; energy, lost jobs to outsourcing, diminishing wages, healthcare, home foreclosures and a host of other important issues will present an immediate challenge to whomever is elected. This country cannot continue down this path of destruction created by the past administration by ignoring the basic functionality and needs of the people that have made this country great. Both Democratic candidates have announced their concerns and have made these issues their agenda. It will require patients and sacrifice by the American people because these issues cannot be solved in a short period of time. However, by recognizing the importance of these issues, all remedies need to begin sometime and with a new President the beginning will start in 2009. I do believe we are up to the challenge but this will require a strong leader and the grassroots Joe six pack behind him. The current energy and food price increases are a good motivation to get the train rolling. Do we have the necessary brain power and technical expertise to solve the problem? Unquestionably the answer is yes. I know several super smart, pocket protector types who have been just waiting for the American culture to say OK just do it, solve the problem. Ex NASA scientists, privately funded solar power think tanks. They are ready to do the job. They exist. They just have no backing. Just look at the pitiful amount of resources that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is given. Not to be too melodramatic, but I have been heartbroken that this country has failed to address its dependence on foreign oil for more than 30 years. While we are comfortable with sending over a billion dollars a day overseas to "reinforce" our addiction it seems our willingness to invest in viable homegrown alternatives has been pathetic. Perhaps the current "pain" of high oil prices and a crushed housing market and economy might be enough to get populist, industry, and government power on the same sane page of a great, sustainable, liberating investment- our energy independent future. It really is time. We live in an area of wealth. When you go to the grocery store, the parking lot is full of SUV's. We walk in with our tote bags, but find very few others using tote bags. They are all using the plastic bags provided by the store. It's frustrating. We use filtered water and put it in our stainless steel containers to drink from. But, we still see people with dozens and dozens of bottled water bottles. What a waste. We see people washing their cars and letting the water flow like there is no tomorrow. We see people with green lawns and landscaping from Hawaii in our desert landscape. Jon Stewart said something like "If all we had to do to make the world right is give up our remote controls, we wouldn't do it." I agree. I think the question is not just for Americans but for the whole of the human species. We are one family of 6 billion and I think its important to remember that changes we make here in the United States affect the whole planet. Humans are innately a creative and compassionate species. I think we are ready and I think many in this country are stepping up to the challenge through local food initiatives, waste reduction, alternative green build homes and eco- villages and municipalities as well as continually developing and improving solar, wind and hydro power technology. Many are doing great work and the next step is to help our economy evolve and reflect what really is a benefit and what is really a cost. If we can do that then we are well equipped to faced the challenges ahead of us. Efforts like measuring economic progress through a better standard like the GPI, making environmental damage and pollution count as internal costs, and developing cap and trade systems for CO2 are crucial to our survival and economic vitality in the future. Our economy has shifted numerous times,, and changed over and over again. There is no reason why we can not do it yet again and build on the supports of community and family values to ease that transition. We live in an amazing moment in history and what we do will have effects not just for generations but for thousands of years on planet Earth. Can you publish the “Sustainability Declaration" found at www.aztlannow.com. It proposes the building of 87% solar utilization greenhouse cities, communities, neighborhoods, and mini-neighborhoods. Beginning with Iraq and Africa and New Orleans, World Wide. By making the "Sustainability Declaration" the law of the land. We are in effect redirecting all our productive and If the U.S.A does not develop alternative energy sources immediately, this country will face a condition we have never seen before. I applaud you and the organizations that are promoting effective solutions to the problems created by global warming and shrinking employment in this country. We must now proceed as a country to be at the front of the green evolution. And that requires building the green industry here in the United States. This will also help reduce bad labor practices overseas, because it will build awareness here in the US so people will want a greener lifestyle. .
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