jessilyn

Our friends at the Energy Action Coalition, National Wildlife Federation and Southern Energy Network are very excited to announce the Carolinas Power Shift regional conference that will take place this October 16-18 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This event will be packed full of inspirational speakers, educational workshops and panel discussions on a wide range of environmental and social justice issues, and opportunities to participate in community service projects. Hundreds of young people, including high school and college students from all over North and South Carolina, are expected to attend - click here to check it out and RSVP if you're interested!

Power Shift is a national, student and youth led environmental movement that has been growing quickly since the first Power Shift conference in 2007. This year’s weekend event will be part of a global push to demand a strong climate and clean energy bill from the U.S. Senate this fall- and an even stronger international treaty from the U.N. Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December.

This conference has been developed to ensure there are topics, forums and speakers to appeal to a wide array of progressive-minded young people. The trainings offered will be top notch and are sure to strengthen your skills and confidence in your respective interests. Guests and attendees are encouraged to arrive and register Friday night for socializing and welcome events.
http://carolinas.powershift09.org

Young people may be the leaders of tomorrow, but they are ready to act NOW to protect our future!

I just ran across the article “Are We Being Bamboozled?” from emagazine.com and it alerted me to a little known fact! Apparently our beloved renewable bamboo isn’t exactly the best material for us to be using as a cloth alternative…or at least it isn’t so good for us due to the intense chemical dousing it goes through to commercially process the bamboo fibers. Check out the article here: http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4801

PS This article caught my eye not only for calling out bamboo – but I couldn’t resist the “bamboozling” reference! (Recall our latest campaign to “Stop the Big Oil Bamboozle”)

I work in an office full of vegetarians, my family is full of meat-eaters, and I’m somewhere in the middle - I like to call myself a “flexitarian” (flexible to eat meat sparingly, if it comes from the right places/or is the only option, but prefer to stick to the veggies). Most folks reading this probably have heard about the notion of “eating lower on the food chain” and the linking of eating meat to global warming - but this article is the most interesting one I’ve seen on the issue: http://www.grist.org/article/index/2009-08-07-debunking-meat-climate-change-myth/flat

I think the most intriguing idea from this article is that it might actually be better, carbon-wise, to eat local, sustainably produced meat (not necessarily organic, but definitely not from a CAFO), than the soy product that was produced in California, or somewhere else in the world. (Hey, if the soy is grown locally then that’s perfect!) Meat itself is not bad – it just depends on where it comes from, how it’s raised, produced, and transported, as well as making sure we don’t eat it in excess.

Check out the article and the string of comments by folks exploring this idea – it’s probably one of the most thought-provoking articles and commentary I’ve read in awhile! What are your thoughts?

My fella is constantly checking out the Gizmodo.com blog for all things gadget related, and every now and then he sends me something that blows me away – and this is one that has stuck in my head for months now…

This picture is of an art experiment (by Richard Box called FIELD) where fluorescent tubes are placed below a power line and the electrical fields created by the power lines power the lights and make them glow! What an eerie visual to demonstrate just how inefficient our power lines are. I think it’s time that we have a smarter, more energy efficient grid.

Plus, I just love their blog title: "This Farm? Oh, At This Farm We Grow Fluorescent Bulbs".

We have recently launched a new Facebook group that aims to encourage NC Senator Kay Hagan to support and work to pass strong climate and energy policy this year. This group will help us not only to demonstrate broad public support for this legislation, but also to reach out and organize new potential activists. Senator Hagan will be a key target for us (and many other groups) in the upcoming weeks and months and we are excited about reaching out to her in many ways, both new and old.

Click here to join the group: Senator Kay Hagan- Support Obama’s Call for Strong Climate Action.

And if you're not on facebook yet, just click the above link and you'll have the chance to join this online community for free!

Don't forget that Election Day is just a few weeks away and we strongly recommend you vote early this year (early voting in North Carolina started yesterday, Thursday October 16th, and runs through Saturday November 1st). You can find early voting locations and times in your county here: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=17. 

Some frequently asked questions about voting in North Carolina:

• I heard that voting a straight party ballot does not include the Presidential race. Is that true? Yes. In North Carolina voting a "straight party" ballot does not include the Presidential race. So make sure that you mark the Presidential race and the non-partisan judicial races if you vote a straight party ballot.
• Do I need to bring identification? Maybe. You don't need to bring identification if you've previously voted at your current address. You should bring identification if you are a newly registered voter or need to register to vote at the early voting location. Bring a drivers license, other government issued ID, social security card, or utility bill for identification purposes if necessary. It's always a good idea to bring proof of residency, just in case. You can find more information about acceptable forms of identification here: http://www.2008electionconnection.com/more/
  index.cfm?Fuseaction=I.D._Requiremen&section=more_42815.
• Where can I get non-partisan information about the candidates? Get to know the candidates running in North Carolina with this non-partisan voter's guide: http://www.2008electionconnection.com/uploads/
  2008ElectionConnection/StatewideVoterGuide.pdf
• Can I wear partisan buttons and t-shirts when I vote? Yes. What you wear is considered free speech. But you may not "electioneer" (hand out materials, tell people who to vote for, etc) within the sign that says "no electioneering beyond this point" (usually 50 feet in front of the polling place).
• Where can I see a sample ballot? Go to http://www.sboe.state.nc.us and click on the link for "General Election Sample Ballots."
• Where can I get non-partisan resources for other voting and election questions or problems:
  - Visit these NC based websites: http://www.ncvoterinfo.com and http://www.2008electionconnection.com
  - Find your county board of elections: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=13
  - Call 1-888-OUR-VOTE

Every now and then you come across something that makes you think about the big picture of the world, and it makes you ask yourself, “What do we need to do to make sure we can survive, live and thrive on this earth?”  As a sociology major in college with a great interest in sustainability, I thought deeply about this question a lot, and I still do.   (In truth it was my interest in societal structure & problems that brought me to environmental work.  It’s hard to solve problems in our society without redesigning how we think and act, especially in terms of the environment as we depend on it for our survival.)

So what made me go on this deep theological quest, you may be thinking to yourself?  A subscriber to our Public Alert Network just sent me a very interesting article entitled “Ten Ways to Prepare for a Post-Oil Society.”

I encourage you to read it and take a bit of time to process it.  The article raises several interesting points and thoughts on how we’re going to have to revamp how our society works to survive in a society after oil, a non-renewable energy source, is gone for good.

Pesticides are harmful to everyone, not just the bugs they’re designed to kill.   So, when pesticides are sprayed in school buildings, we should know what is being sprayed and when they’re being sprayed in order to protect the health of kids and teachers. 

Did you know that there’s a law out there that requires schools provide this information? Or perhaps this is the better question: is your school providing this information?

The NC Schoolchildren's Health Act requires public schools in NC to notify parents and staff before pesticides are used at their school, and to switch to least-toxic pest control programs by 2011. But, a recent survey shows that many school districts still haven't made either of these important changes.

Toxic Free NC is trying to get the word out to parents, families, teachers and the general public that your school is require to tell you what they are spraying and when they’re spraying pesticides.  So if you are concerned about the health of our kids or our teachers, then check out Toxic Free NC’s page so you can find out if your school is making the grade or not, and what you can do to make sure that we can keep harmful substances from impairing our lives!

I recently read an article on PhysOrg.com that made me very excited for how we may be able to use the sun for all our power needs.  (This is going to be a little more technical blog post summary, but check out the article for a complete explanation on how this “breakthrough” technology will work.)

Now, I’ve heard new breakthroughs in energy technology be described as “revolutionary,” but most of the time it seems the new breakthrough is more “evolutionary” - it’s a leap in the right direction…but not our panacea.  However, this is one of the most promising breakthrough technologies I’ve seen. (Warning: I am by no means an energy expert, but I am a bit knowledgeable on the subject.)  Basically, the storage process mimics the water splitting process found in photosynthesis, using the simple, non-toxic, ingredients of water and metal.   During the day, energy needs are met directly from the sun.  The unused daylight energy is then stored by splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen that are held in a tank, and then recombined to emit electricity when energy is needed – like a hydrogen fuel cell.

Basically it’s a simple, easily constructed system, and could really be the breakthrough we need to utilize the sun’s energy.  After all it is said in the article that “in one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.”  It’s time to soak it up.

In a time to seriously reconsider our energy sources and the condition of our environment, I encourage folks to check out an upcoming expo for learning about the latest opportunities for creating a more sustainable culture: The Southern Energy and Environment Expo. 

This exciting 3-day expo will be held August 22-24th at The Western NC Agricultural Center right outside of Asheville, NC in the small town of Fletcher.  It will be a guaranteed good time with people from all across the southeast convening to discuss issues surrounding energy and the environment.  It’s the largest event of its kind in the southeast!  There will be booths to visit, seminars to attend, sustainable businesses to check out, and like-minded people to meet and discuss world, regional, and local matters of sustainability. 

So pack your bag, bring a tent (or a credit card if you’re going the hotel route), and a mind ready to soak up all there is to offer at this wonderful expo!