Green Salon Series Presented By Breathe L.A.

By Nicole Hansen
[Blogger Bio Below]
When the Green Blog Network asked me to be a panelist for the Breathe LA Salon "AB 32.0 and the Rise of Green Digital Media" and blog about it on The Green Blog Network, I was reluctant. Ever since my son Nikos directed the global warming PSA, Save It, I’ve been thrown into a world of "green" issues. Many times I feel ill equipped to participate, as if I’m the student and everyone else around me are the experts—including my own children. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in Boulder, Colorado! Nothing could be more "green" than the granola Disneyland of my youth. But since coming to California twenty years ago, being ecological has gone from something the "Earth Muffins" of Boulder would do to actually becoming state laws. Such is the case with California’s AB 32.

 
Nicole Hansen of Green Galaxy Enterprises spoke on behalf of The Green Blog Network at 
Breathe L.A.'s Green Salon series. Photo Courtesy Alastair Shearman.

AB 32 - Getting The Word Out
Stephanie Mullen, the Senior Field Representative to State Senator Fran Pavley made the opening remarks, stating that Senator Pavley authored AB 32 to give the California Air Resources Board authority to bring emissions down to 1990 levels by 2020. Though the law was enacted years ago, I was surprised to hear that it has not yet been implemented. She stated that we need to use resources more effectively and are looking for a strong, green economy in California. The moderator, Ray Gonzales, a former KTLA personality, brought up the fact that there is a lot of opposition to the law because of its shorthand as "the global warming law." I believe he has a point—so how does the green social media reach those who don’t believe in global warming so that they will be less opposed to something that is basically based on common sense?
Common Sense Approach To Information Dissemination
The first panelist, Jennifer Gooding, is the LA Ambassador to EcoTuesday. She brought up the point that people's initial hesitation arises from a disconnection to the world that can be remedied by social media. She believes that we need a forum to connect, and she has been described as that connector. We often get a bunch of information, are overwhelmed, but are not connected. That’s the benefit of social media when it comes to getting the message out there, since the vast majority of people did not know what AB 32 is. We're failing by not having common people understand the basics.
Panelist Siel Ju is the Green LA Girl, and has appeared on outlets including NPR and NBC, among many others. She has a Ph.D in creative writing and literature but is now devoted to blogging about environmental issues. She noted that AB 32 is not a familiar term to most people. It reminded her of the battle with rBGH, which makes cows produce more milk but also causes birth defects. We must give people more information and not just boil it down to "Ban rBGH!" (or "Save AB 32!") Whether it be eating locally produced food or riding the subway, we should connect AB 32 to things people already desire. Moreover, we must use social media for a conversation to make connections.


Breathe L.A. Green Salon Series, March 2010, photo courtesy
Alastair Shearman. Pictured: Ray Gonzales, Moderator, Green Salon Series.
Panelist Josh Tickell, director of Fuel, stressed that there is power of media in environmental issues. Stepping back from the fray, the long-term objectives of AB 32 are a breakthrough and so are its emissions cuts. The Fuel film is digital media designed to have an effect. They didn't want the result to just end in rallying efforts, but rather to "shift the energy needle" in this country. He wanted a campaign with 10 goals that people could choose from as they matched their own. A big topic for Josh is fuel made from algae, and he observed that a lot of food energy is going unused. He was able to get a meeting with the Department of Energy and to start a campaign for algae. The meeting turned into a shouting match with great disagreement on the department's side. In the end, through the social, objective based digital and social media, there is significant investment and growing, with already $100 million being spent on algae lobbying. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can order a million solar roofs, and the next campaign should be a million green cars. What we need, according to Josh, is a broad perspective.
Save It
Before I spoke, I shared my answer to the global warming messaging through digital media and showed my son’s 1Sky PSA, Save It (later endorsed by Global Green and Greenpeace). The shocker was that people wrote hate messages on YouTube where it premiered as Take Part’s first video release, calling me an uninformed hippie that has brainwashed my kids, and some who even said my son was "stupid." Ironically, my sons both have developmental disorders that I was warned by the EPA they would have, as a result of environmental toxins. With what my children have to go through to be educated in special needs schools, at the expense of the government, is why it matters to all of us. Framing the discussion as a human health issue is much less controversial than global warming and we can use social media to educate people about asthma, autism, cancer and numerous other disorders that are exacerbated by or a direct cause of the toxins we are responsible for trying to control. So Earth Muffin or not, the real cost of paying for our health will far outweigh the cost of converting to cleaner and greener technologies in the long run. That’s how we should use social media to educate the masses to the importance of actually implementing AB 32.
Bio: Nicole organized and produced the first Renewable Energy Conference and Awards Gala at the United Nations sponsored by the Honduran Permanent Mission to the UN with notable speakers and honorees such as Dr. Arthur Nozik of NREL, Dr. Daniel Nocera of MIT as well as Billionaire John Paul DeJoria. She was a featured speaker alongside producer Marshall Herskovitz for the 2009 Green Girls Holiday Event advocating publicly for the use of renewable energy technologies.   
Twitter @nikkihans

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Greening The Globe: World Water Day March 22nd, Get Tapped!

"Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting." - Mark Twain

30 scheduled screenings of Tapped followed by a town hall Q & A - will kick off in Los Angeles on March 22nd en route to New York City.  The Tapped truck can be tracked online - featuring celebrity guest columns by Ed Begley Jr and David de Rothschild, a public service announcement by Grammy Winner Jack Johnson, and daily videos and bonus clips from the film.

Can't See The VIDEO? CLICKE HERE and ON IMAGE BELOW:

http://urbancanteen.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/tapped1.jpg

Beginning World Water Day (March 22nd) Tapped’s Producer Sarah Olson and Director Stephanie Soechtig will take their mobile showroom on the road, collecting pledges from people to reduce their bottled water use and trading empty plastic water bottles for reusable stainless steel Klean Kanteens.  This mobile translucent recycling container will begin the “Get Off The (h20) Bottle” tour in Los Angeles with an empty cabin that will be filled with the public’s empty water bottles by the time the team ends up in New York City on Earth Day (April 22nd, 2010).

Director Stephanie Soechtig says about the tour, “1,500 bottles of water end up in landfills every second – that’s 30 million bottles of water a day! We wanted to show people just how much waste is generated by bottled water - so if that means we have to drive city to city to get the point across than that’s what we’ll do!”

The stops along the tour will include San Diego, CA (March 22nd), Tempe, AZ (March 23rd), Tucson, AZ (March 24th), Santa Fe, NM (March 26th), Salida, CO (March 27th), Denver, CO (March 30th), Boulder, CO (March 31st), Omaha, NE (April 2nd), Lawrence, KS (April 5th) Norman, OK (April 6th), Dallas, TX (April 7th), Austin, TX (April 8th), Houston, TX (April 9th), New Orleans, LA (April 10th), Atlanta, GA (April 13th), Nashville, TN (April 14th), Bloomington, IN (April 15th), Chicago, IL (April 16th), Goshen, IN (April 17th), Washington, DC (April 19-20) and New York City (April  21-23nd).

Tour Sponsors include Klean Kanteen, Food and Water Watch, Multi-Pure water filters, and Aveda.

ABOUT TAPPED

Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? Stephanie Soechtig's debut feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water.

From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car and I.O.U.S.A., this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water.

From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table. A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public's right to water.

For more information please go to www.tappedthemovie.com.

BONUS

FREE SCREENING March 24th, Santa Monica High School, Barnum Hall, Santa Monica, CA. 4:00pm  Open To The Public Sponsored by The Daily Ocean.

The Green Blog Network Greening Hollywood

UPCOMING DATES: (visit our website for more details and showtimes)

March 19 - Mill Valley, CA
March 19 - Montreal, Quebec
March 20 - Sunnyvale, CA
March 20 - Boston, MA
March 20 - Vancouver, British Columbia       March 21 - Prince George, British Columbia       March 21 - Portland, ME
March 21 - Honolulu, HI      - hosted by Jack Johnson    and Kokua Hawai'i Foundation        March 21 - Venice, CA             

March 21 - Kelowna, British Columbia      March 22 - Annandale, VA
March 22 - Guelph, Ontario            March 22 - Mill Valley, CA          March 22 - San Diego, CA        March 22 - Burnaby, British Columbia
March 22 - Auckland, New Zealand           March 22 - Manchester, United Kingdom            March 22 - Durham, NC      

March 23 - Laie, HI    - hosted by Jack Johnson        and Kokua Hawai'i Foundation
March 23 - Tempe, AZ   March 24 - Tallahassee, FL   March 24 - Fredericksburg, VA
March 24 - Standish, ME  March 24 - Santa Monica, CA
March 24 - Tuscon, AZ  March 24 - Keene, NH   March 24 - Fountain Valley, CA
March 25 - San Diego, CA  March 25 - Puerto Rico March 26 - Santa Fe, NM March 27 - Salida, CO March 28 - Mill Valley, CA
March 30 - Denver, CO March 31 - Incline Village, NV March 31 - Aspen, CO  March 31 - Boulder, CO March 31 - Breckenridge, CO
April 2 - Omaha, NE April 5 - Lawrence, KS  April 6 - Norman, OK  April 7 - Dallas, TX April 8 - Austin, TX April 8 - North Charleston, SC
April 9 - Houston, TX  April 10 - New Orleans, LA  April 14 - Nashville, TN  April 14 - Beverly Hills, CA  April 15 - Coeur d'Alene, ID
April 15 - Bloomington, IN April 16 - Chicago, IL  April 17 - Goshen, IN  April 20 - Missoula, MT April 22 - New York, NY
April 22 - Keene, NH  April 22 - Rye, NY  April 23 - Greenwich, CT  April 24 - Roswell, GA April 24 - Austin, TX April 24 - Honolulu, HI
April 26 - Madison, WI April 29 - Los Angeles, CA  April 30 - Truckee, CA  May 6 - Salt Lake City, UT  May 6 - Santa Cruz, CA
May 12 - Sacramento, CA May 17 - Plano, TX  June 4 - Mendocino, CA
September 26 - Terrace, British Columbia
October 22 - Antigonish, Nova Scotia

The Green Blog Network Greening Hollywood

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Greenwashing Makes Me Feel Dirty...

  By jourdan

People For Green Justice

Why does it seem if one does it, they all do it OR they pretend to?  As the “Going Green” campaign has gained popularity we have to examine what popularity turns into in society.  Sometimes something real and meaningful, such as caring for the environment, can be turned into greed, fame and power.  It’s like when everyone starts to follow a fad, but you know who the posers are.  Like McDonald’s Europe changing their logo to green.  They really think we’re stupid.  And I guess they would be right according to their accounting books.

http://enviralment.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/greenwashing.jpg
 
My fear about greenwashing is that it will create a public of distrust which in turn will cause a disservice to the legitimate green movement.  As a consumer I like for my shopping to be made easy.  I’m guessing most people do. When I walk into a store and make the decision between regular cleaner A or green cleaner B, I want to be confident that reading the label is all I need to do to feel secure in my choice.  Finding out that the product is not actually eco-friendly or at least not as eco-friendly as they claim, just sends that cartoon steam out of my ears!  As a public, how are we supposed to make informed decisions if we are being duped by companies at every turn.  And we all know how once you get screwed you don’t forget and everyone else pays for that.  Everyone wants to jump on the green bandwagon and make a buck.  Where is your conscious?  Do you have a family and friends?  How are so many people involved in getting these products and campaigns out to us and they are okay with it?  I know that if I worked at Company X and knew they were putting a product out there and not being truthful, I would report it and blow the case wide open.  I know, I say that, but I’m sure the men in black suits would have me offed immediately.  If any of you have knowledge of greenwashing going on you should let the public know.  Or you can tell me and I’ll blast them.  Remember, you get to stay anonymous with Green Justice!

We can’t be confident in any company claiming to be green without doing our own research first, which sucks because um, I’m busy and if the label claims eco-friendly than I want it to be freaking friendly!  I came across this site where people can post and rate marketing ads that are declaring their newfound “greenness.”  Take a look at how many ads there are.  And if we can’t trust any of them, I’m sad to think we’ll become overwhelmed and return to the ways of not caring because it’s too much work.  I’m not trying to be a downer, just realistic.  You know it’s true.  I’m sad one of the ads is the Audi Green Police, but I totally understand.  I liked the ads and the idea of green police, but it is ironic to have it coming from a car manufacturer.  After the ad aired during the superbowl I checked out their YouTube channel and comments were not praising them at all.  Lots of angry name calling went on.  Guess that didn’t quite work out how they thought.  Oops.  I hope we don’t completely discredit the green movement with greenwashing.  Let’s crack down and let these companies know we won’t stand for it.  If you have a tip, submit a claim today!  Read More Here >>>>

Check out the GREENWASHING INDEX.

The Green Blog Network Greening Hollywood

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Climate Change A Matter Of Global Security

by Joe Magee

What is more dangerous, climate change or terrorism?

We are all too familiar with the consequences of terrorism and few deny the earth’s climate is changing.  In today’s social discourse both ideas are loaded and politicized.  Neither phenomenon is universally defined and the approach to each is emotional and controversial.


Consider the causalities of each to determine which is more dangerous. As expected there is a fair amount of difficulty in calculating how many people die from either terrorism or climate change. The data is far from perfect, but is important to compare the threats each pose. Unfortunately, both suffer from ambiguous definitions and each is riddled with disagreements of their effects. For instance, some figures include fatalities in the war zone of Iraq when considering terrorism. Others might consider deaths from hunger as circumstance of climate change.  Conversely, terrorism might occur in a war zone while malnutrition can be a result of climate change.

Joe Magee is the co-founder of PineMark.com, a Southern California based environmental start-up. PineMark is the first green lifestyle certification, think LEED for people. They incentivize individuals to reduce their ecological impact while rewarding those who commit to sustainable living. Twitter @PineMark

Can't See THE VIDEO? CLICK HERE

 

The Body Count:

In the Anatomy of a Silent Crisis, released by the Global Humanitarian Forum, it is estimated that 300,000 people die per year due to climate change. This is a conservative estimate that mainly accounts for weather-related disasters such as drought, floods, heat waves, desertification, and rises in sea levels.

The Worldwide Incidents Tracking System, a counter terrorism database, recorded about 11,400 deaths as a result of terrorism in 2009 and 15,800 in 2008. The National Counterterrorism Center that operates the database defines terrorism when “groups or individuals acting on political motivation deliberately or recklessly attack civilians/non-combatants."


The Problem:

If climate change is predicted to kill almost 25 times more people than terrorism, why does the US spend upwards of 15 times more money on combating terrorism than researching climate change? ($55 billion projected in 2011 on counter-terrorism versus a yearly average of $3.4 billion spent on climate change research and technologies). The fact is 99% of causalities relating to climate change occur in developing nations. It is an absolute tragedy that 50 of the least developed nations emit less than 1% of the world’s carbon (Anatomy of a Silent Crisis). The media and our government share some responsibility for the perception of these problems. Regardless, as global citizens we have a duty to be informed about the consequences of our actions.

It is expected that the US would dedicate more money to counter-terrorism. The United States has an obligation to protect its citizens and the immediacy of terrorism is a grave threat. However, if the numbers tell us anything about climate change, it is that we need to dedicate more resources to its solution. Domestically we might not experience the adverse effects of climate change for a few decades. This is all the more reason to start addressing the problem immediately.

The Solution:

The unpredictable nature of climate change and terrorism make them difficult to prepare and anticipate. In addressing these issues one would hope for better data and analysis because both are linked much more closely than previously thought. The Pew Charitable Trust recently created a separate institute to discover the intersection of terrorism and climate change; I previously posted the video they released, Climate Patriots. This is at the crux of solving these global issues. No matter what your political views or how you previously felt about “global warming”, climate change has a direct link to terrorism. The fact is that climate change creates disasters; disasters create civil unrest, and civil unrest breeds terrorism.


Terrorism and climate change are not so far removed from our daily lives. It boils down to how we as a community view and address these issues. You do play a role in their solutions. We, as citizens of the greatest country in the world, have an obligation to demand the truth and be informed of the causes and consequences of both climate change and terrorism. Try to step back from your preconceived notions of each and search out different points of view, weight conflicting statistics, and always consider the source of your information. The more these issues are discussed, argued, and challenged the more transparent they become and progress is made.

The Green Blog Network  *  Greening Hollywood

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Greening Los Angeles: Ports Of LA Demonstrate Vision

Sustainability Award Given by Senator Fran Pavley to Vision Motorcorp.

"Zero Emissions Vehicles for the 21st Century"

Vision COO & Chairman Lawrence  Weisdorn
Vision COO & Chairman Lawrence Weisdorn

 

Each month Sen. Pavley recognizes a business in her district that is dedicated to preserving our environment by living and working responsibly. This month she's "proud to announce that I presented an Environmental Sustainability Award to Vision Industries in Santa Monica."

Vision Industries has created a zero-emission engine for cars and trucks. They have dedicated themselves to being in the forefront of eco-friendly technology by developing a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric truck. This has proven beneficial to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and the state of California in their goal to be national leaders in the use of eco-friendly technology. Vision's efforts in reducing the amount of air pollution created in this state are truly admirable and help set the standards for other businesses.

- Sen. Pavley March Newsletter

 

 

Can't See THE VIDEO?  CLICK HERE

Due to the ports of Los Angles and Long Beach's Clean Truck Program that offers cash incentives for the replacement of older dirty diesel trucks and the proximity and availability of low cost hydrogen, Vision is targeting truck fleet operators that haul goods from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles for the initial sales of their zero emission trucks.

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - January 15, 2010 - Expanding its commitment to bringing cutting-edge, zero-emission solutions to port operations, the Port of Los Angeles is entering into negotiations with Los Angeles-based Vision Industries for the purchase and evaluation of Visions hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric trucks >>  >>>  >>>  Read MORE

 

The Green Blog Network  *  Greening Hollywood

Green Blog Network  Sponsored in part by:

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Greening California: Sac Summit Says Happy Green St. Paddy's Day!

The past few days of the Green California Summit has been chock full of educational opportunities, from working in Green Media, to programs at the Federal level and the City level, to the status on LEED building certification and Retro-Fits.

With St.Paddy's Day rounding up the 3-day 2010 conference, we wanted to tip you off to the Green Thing To Do in case you were in the Governor's 'hood.

 

Speaker'sTuesday, March 16


Keynote Speaker

Alec Loorz
Founder, Kids vs. Global Warming
 


Featured Speaker

Fran Pavley
California State Senator, District 23

Here are some of the offerings:

How to Use New Media and Social Media
The evolution of the Internet has resulted in powerful opportunities for communication that didn't exist even five years ago. From the blogosphere to Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube, vehicles exist for new kinds of marketing and intra-organizational communication that are cost-effective and yield measurable results. This full-day workshop will explore essential aspects of new media. You will learn how to raise your organization's profile by using new media effectively get the word out about your projects, programs, organizational news, etc. There will also be a section on innovations in green web design.

LEED & Other New Green Building Certifications
(This class will offer 5 AIA CEUs)
Green buildings have been shown be more desirable to buyers and lessors - they promote health and save energy and money. The LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council is the pre-eminent certification for green buildings, and the numbers of LEED certified buildings has been growing exponentially. This workshop will give you an update on the refinement and implementation of LEED certification standards. It will also explore other certifications, such as Energy Star Qualified (for energy efficiency), NAHB National Green Building Program and others.

Green roofs, White roofs, Living walls
A building’s envelope is often overlooked as a potential source of energy efficiency and lowered carbon footprints. Green roofs, which are planted with vegetation, help keep buildings insulated while white roofs cost little and deflect solar heat. Living walls are horizontal gardens offering not only insulation but shading and beauty. Learn from those who are utilizing these technologies how much energy and money they save and how to implement them in your buildings.

Cities, Regions and Communities: Green Programs & Collaborations
Actions speak louder than words, and in this session you’ll find out from those who made it happen how cities, regions and communities have implemented their green program. This information can pave the way for your projects to get started now and for the future.

The Promise of Federal Executive Order 13514
President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 to set  sustainability goals for Federal agencies, focusing on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. From reducing waste and fleet fuel consumption to conserving water and purchasing green products – this EO will dramatically change the way business is done with the federal government, including federal agencies housed in California. This session will allow you to plug into a plethora of new opportunities at the Federal level.

Where the Green Jobs Are: The Economic Potential of California's Green Workforce
Millions of federal stimulus and state dollars are being invested to develop a clean energy workforce for California. Are the “green jobs” really there? How important is this sector to the state’s economy? And how can you tap into its potential?

Tweets and Texts: Using New Media for PR and Internal Communication
Communication tools that didn’t exist even five years ago can improve your marketing and intra-organizational communications. From the blogosphere to Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube discover how to using new media to get the word out about your projects, programs and organization, etc.

Achieve Environmental and Fiscal Savings through the Utilization of Federal Procurement Programs Available to Local Governments

How authorized use of GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contracts Help Green Local Procurement Practices

This training course will provide a brief overview of the GSA State and Local Purchasing Programs open to local governments and how these programs may be valuable procurement vehicles for your local agency to conserve both financial and environmental resources. Join us for a lively, in-depth demonstration of how to research Green products and services, find Green contractors, and manage competition through GSA's free on-line e-tools. Come prepared to learn how using GSA e-procurement tools supports green procurements at the local level.

Kathryn Pamiroya, Customer Service Director, U.S. General Services Administration
Liz Belenis Slater. Customer Service Director, U.S. General Services Administration

For  More INFO:  Green California Summit

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