Earth Stewards Additional Resources

Organizations

Bread for the World is a national advocacy group works hard to get farm and food policies that benefit the poor and are environmentally friendly. The website and newsletter contain a lot of up-to-date information regarding pending legislation and how to contact your legislators. A section on the home page links ‘Global Climate Change, Hunger and Poverty’.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is a regional non-profit with a mission to educate and mobilize citizens of this region in a way that fosters a rapid societal switch to clean energy and energy-efficient products. Lists local events and has lots of reference information.

The Cool Capital Challenge unites local individuals, schools, congregations, businesses, governments and other institutions to take a billion-pound bite out of the Capital Region's carbon dioxide emissions by April 2008. To take the challenge, first go to the website above, click on the ‘Take the Challenge’ link, then fill in the forms. It’s easy- with your recent gas, oil an electric bills, it will only take about 10-15 minutes. You’ll get your CO2 footprint, practical suggestions for reducing it and allow you to pledge to take specific reduction steps in 2008. Since CCPC is a ‘Cool Partner’, be sure to add you name to our list when you finish.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) partners with businesses, governments and communities to find practical solutions to environmental problems. They start with a strong scientific basis, then work on legislation and solutions based on that. Lots of links to scientific work in the area.

Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) and Creation Care Magazine is a non-profit publisher of materials to equip and inspire individuals, families, and churches. EEN seeks to educate and mobilize people to make a difference in their churches and communities, and to speak out on national and international policies that affect our ability to care for God’s Creation. Good ‘Resources’ links and a free monthly newsletter.

Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light (GWIPL) is a local organization (CCPC is a member) whose website and monthly newsletter will keep your abreast of what other churches in our area are doing.

Presbyterians for Restoring Creation (PRC) is a nationwide network of people of faith who care for God's creation. Through its web site, a quarterly newsletter, resources, and regional and national events, PRC educates and advocates and builds community for eco-justice.

National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a nationwide environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.2 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals.

Recycling- Use the handy search widget below to find almost anything. Or click on any of the links below for specific items.

 

The Sierra Club was founded in 1892. John Muir was its first president and Ansel Adams was a member for 50 years. It is a large international organization with an extremely wide variety of programs. The ‘Resources’ section at the bottom left of the home page, offers interesting links. This huge website with links to many other resources.

Reviews and Articles

Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America By Thomas Thomas L. Friedman

New York Times Review

Earth: The Sequel by Fred Krupp (President of Environmental Defense) and Miriam Horn

News on the environment is full of up-beat suggestions about light bulbs, dire warnings about the future of polar bears and coral reefs, and hand wringing over the lack of political leadership and foresight. Earth: The Sequel assumes all of these realities, but takes off in a different and provocative direction. It is essentially an informative and tantalizing review of an array of technological innovations that are currently being explored. These include what have become old standbys such as windmills, solar panels and ethanol. But it goes far beyond these and introduces us to technologies that may seem "far out," but ones that are attracting serious scientific development and venture capital. Much of the discussion repeats descriptions of the entrepreneurial energy and excitement of Silicon Valley that went into dot.coms and produced Google and Microsoft as well as a number of failures.

For example, one firm is developing a yeast-based fermentation process to turn sugar into gasoline that surpasses the energy in ethanol. If it works, corn will no longer be diverted to fuel, food prices will be held down, and there will be significant reduction in carbon emissions. Another is trying to capture the energy from waves in the ocean. And yet another is growing vast amounts of algae and capturing their ability to develop liquid fuel. Chapters cover different forms of solar energy, geothermal power, clean coal, and so forth. The descriptions are well written, and while they include a fair amount of technical material, these paragraphs are easily skimmed, and the reader is left with a firm sense that there is very serious science involved.

For all the excitement and energy that Krupp and Horn describe, the book keeps returning to two very concrete warnings. First, and most immediate to general readers, is the reality that none of these will get off the ground if the political system fails to enact an incentive system to make it work. Krupp argues persuasively that voluntary action will not produce real change, and is a strong proponent of what is known as a "cap and trade system" put in place by the Kyoto Protocol. A cap is set on the amount of carbon that can be produced, and different firms are given a limit on the amount they can pollute. If they go below their limit they can "sell" some of their rights to others. Europe works under a cap and trade system, while the U.S. insists on voluntary actions. In fact, while Krupp does not deal with these, the system has produced problems for Europe and is not working as well as hoped (See for example, the "Wall Street Journal", April 3, 2008, p. A9 and Tidwell, "The Ravaging Tide", p. 159). An alternative incentive system that is often proposed is to directly tax carbon, but to date there is little political will to do that, and Krupp does not discuss it.

The second warning is that while many of these technologies could turn out to be very exciting and produce significant change, most require significant infusions of venture capital. Entrepreneurs success in gaining these will obviously be affected by the success of their inventions as well as by growing shortages and increases in the price of energy. One trend to watch is whether investments encourage a diversified and highly competitive energy system, one that might be very different from the present system dominated by a few large players.

You will learn a lot from reading the book about future possibilities. And it would be hard not to be infected by the sense of excitement and adventure many of the actors are experiencing.

Louise G. White, April 2008

Mark Bittman: Rethinking the Meat Guzzler, NY Times

Al Gore Climate speech 17-July-2008

Full text of James Hansen’s testimony before the US Congress on global warming

Burning Biofuels May be Worse than Coal and Oil. Scientists have found that using biofuels made from corn, sugar cane and soy could have a greater environmental impact than burning fossil fuels, according to experts. Although the fuels themselves emit fewer greenhouse gases, they all have higher costs in terms of biodiversity loss and destruction of farmland. (From Guardian in Britain, and based on new research by Swiss scientists.) The only answer is conservation. Many of you will recall that our recent farm bill emphasized biofuels from corn.

What We Know About Climate Change by MIT climate scientist Kerry Emmanuel. An easy and accessible read. Available on amazon.com for less than $15