Showing posts with label Schwarzenegger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schwarzenegger. Show all posts

Paris Announces Autolib' Car Service On Demand




Modeling itself after the successful Autolib' service already in practice in Lyon, France, Paris announced earlier this week that by March 2012, at the latest, their Autolib' service will be fully in play.

AutoLib', the electric car rental program, is modelled after the wildly popular Velib' program, whereby citizens, tourists and visitors alike can pick up a bicycle at numerous points around the city, use it for a half an hour, half a day or longer, and then drop it off at another station when they're finished with it. The pick-up and drop-off stations, which function as one and the same, are nearly as numerous as Metro stations.
The program is designed for short-term use for both the bicycle and Auto usage. They're available 24/7. And it is ridiculously cheap. To use an Autolib' car in Lyon prices start at 2,10 Euro for basic car models from Citroen, Peugeot, Toyota. You first purchase a membership for a minimum of one year and on top of that you pay a deposit to cover any possible damages. But you can even take a car between the hours of 11pm and 7 am for free.
On this program, Paris is worlds ahead of, for example, Santa Monica, a city in California, the nation's greenest state, that prides itself on its green transportation policies.
On December 16th the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted in favor of California's nation leading Cap-and-Trade program under AB 32.
Here is what California's Governor had to say about it: 
And I'm so proud of this team here because it's one thing when the legislators get together and say AB 32  and here's the bill  and they give you these documents that are 1,000 pages long and all this stuff. And then the governor goes out and talks about it and I sign it and we have bill signing ceremonies and all of those things that we had. But then someone has to follow through and make it become a reality  and the people you see in front of you here are the people that make this become a reality. I know today, even though we are 10 years away from 2020 but I know today that we will have a reduction of 25 percent of greenhouse gases by the year 2020, only because I have such an excellent team here.
I am thinking that California may just need to take some pages from Paris's playbook on public transportation policy. Especially in cities such as San Francisco, Santa Monica, Pasadena and other such coastal cities that are already readily adaptable to something like the Autolib' and the Velib'.


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Posted by Paige Donner at 8:44 AM 1 comments
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How Can You Buy And Sell The Sky?


The Green Revolution is going full speed ahead...


"We need to step out of our collective psychosis," said Deepak Chopra, author and speaker at today's Governor's Global Climate Summit 3 taking place at the Mondavi Center, UC Davis in Northern California. "We are worried about the planet, but we should be worried about ourselves."
He told the 1500 assembled delegates and attendees of the this sub-national and grassroots focused conference that a biologist had recently explained to him that were all the insects to disappear, the planet would collapse within five years; Were the human race to disappear from the planet, the Earth would flourish. He then introduced a film, Harmony, that is to air tonight on NBC, inspired and narrated by Charles, the Prince of Wales.  He left the podium quoting Chief Seattle's letter to the president which includes the famous, rhetorical question, "how can you buy and sell the sky?" and reiterated the ancient teachings that the human body and the world are one, trees are but lungs.
But while the first morning of the Summit concluded on a spiritual note, it was mainly spent in discussing the need for a "Green Industrial Policy" and to define the specific direction to take the Green Energy Policy in.
Co-host Governor Schwarzenegger addressed the assembly and made it clear that the "green revolution is moving full speed ahead." He stressed the bipartisan victory California enjoyed recently when it collectively and overwhelmingly said "No" to Proposition 23 which sought to gut the state's landmark global solutions act, AB 32.
George Shultz, a veteran of Ronald Reagan's cabinet shared his memories of his first cabinet position under Eisenhower. Back then, he said, Eisenhower had advised him that if the nation imported more than 20% of its oil we were "asking for trouble." Sure enough, he recalled, two years later we had the first Arab oil embargo.

Gov. Schwarzenegger at the GGCS3 at UC Davis, Mondavi Center.
"How many times do you have to get hit on the head with a 2x4 before you decide to take action?" asked George Shultz.
Harrison Ford took the stage after the Governor, easily following in the footsteps of Climate Action Hero.  He has been a long supporter of and spokesperson for Conservation International whose main message at the summit is the carbon cost of deforestation. "Sixteen percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions is created from deforestation. That's more than all the buses, cars, trucks on the planet combined," said Ford.
The other speakers, including Linda Adams, California Secretary of Environmental Protection, could hardly keep the "cat in the bag" until tomorrow's official announcement about R20, an organization incorporated in Geneva, Switzerland, which is to be a "green investment program," said Linda Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. It is intended to match investors from the World Bank and private corporations with local governments in developing and industrialized countries to accelerate alternative-energy projects. Adams added that today was a day to celebrate...to celebrate the victory for Mother Earth. "Protecting the environment protects our way of life...clean air, clean water, livable neighborhoods, walkable streets...".
As Ford explained it, "it will lay the tracks for the world's first compliance market for global deforestation activity." In other words, the developing nations will have as much economic incentive to protect the environment as they do now to strip their forests and sell the raw resources.
Focus is also towards COP 16 taking place in the next few weeks in Cancun, Mexico. The Summit provides an opportunity for states and provinces to partner with and influence the position of their national governments leading up to the United Nations COP 16 conference. The GGCS3 is in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Environment Programme and co-sponsored by UC Davis.
“The politics of climate change have challenged the science, so it is critical that universities like UC Davis - with 21st century research and development units - uncover and deliver the facts so that the world’s opinions can flow from there,” said UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.
Schwarzenegger added that last year's Global Climate Summit was held in Los Angeles, the "entertainment capital of the world," and this year the summit is being held at UC Davis, the "environmental research capital of the world."
Shultz had praise for British Columbia's Gordon Campbell and his model of a revenue neutral carbon tax, saying "It's a good idea to create a level playing field for all sources of energy."
Campbell emphasized that 90% B.C.'s energy is clean energy sourced meaning carbon neutral or no carbon. He continued by saying he was of the same mind as Gov. Schwarzenegger in reaching across borders on issues of climate action and energy. "We're happy to share our clean energy with our friends, across the border."  Campbell rounded up his panel address by saying that the way we move forward is in public-private partnerships. He concluded with a quote from Churchill, "Never, never, never give up. It's too important."

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Building America's Future

Building America's Future is a select group of U.S. political leaders chosen to consult with Obama and his administration on key issues regarding investment primarily in infrastructure in our nation. Issues include forming public-private partnerships to build roads, bridges, air traffic control systems, waterways, electricity grids and high-speed rail systems for the U.S.
Building America's Future corp. is currently:  Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pennsylvania; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-California; Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Independent-NYC.

(September 8, 2010) SACRAMENTO, CALIF. - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement today applauding the California Energy Commission’s vote to approve the construction of the 250 megawatt Abengoa solar thermal power plant:

“I applaud the California Energy Commission’s decision to approve the construction of the Abengoa Mojave Solar Project. California needs to do all it can to create more jobs. Solar technology and clean energy are an integral part of California’s economic future and I am proud that our state is leading the way in attracting employers like Abengoa.  Protecting the environment and improving the economy go hand in hand, and I hope even more businesses will continue to build solar plants in California.”
In related news...

Energy Commission Approves $10.5 million in Loans for Solar Cell Manufacturers California Companies Will Add More Than 430 Jobs
SACRAMENTO - The California Energy Commission today approved three loans totaling more than $10.5 million for California-based manufacturers of solar products. The low interest loans are part of the state's Clean Energy Business Financing Program (CEBFP) that is providing approximately $30 million in federal stimulus money to eligible businesses that create or retain clean energy manufacturing jobs in California.
"California is investing funds from the federal America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to rebuild our shrinking manufacturing sector, helping it retool for a new, more robust,and competitive green economy that can put Californians back to work," said Karen Douglas, Energy Commission Chairman. "In this continuing economic downturn, the Clean Energy Business Financing Program provides money to local green companies unable to access capital from lenders and banks."

Details of the CEBFP program are available on the California Energy Commission website at
http://energy.ca.gov/recovery/cleanenergy.html

It' a Green[er] World

Gaining Ground Summit  Oct. 4 - 7, Vancouver

The conference focuses on urban sustainability accomplishments and challenges, and convenes a wide network of urban sustainability practitioners who are playing key roles in numerous fields of professional and community practice. For Vancouver, for any city, to fulfill its green city mission, the power's in the network.
□  Tuesday, Oct 5th   "Policy Meets Doing."  How fast and how far can political leadership and new policy direction move?  How does a city lay out an integrated program for green economy, green systems and green communities?  How does a city build durable partnerships with industry and other constituents to advance the green agenda and economy?
□  Wednesday, Oct. 6th    "Real Value Thinking About Urban Systems"  A One-Day Business Summit For Leaders and Decision-Makers in: Cleantech, Alternative Energy, Municipal Infrastructure and Urban Systems Planning, the Industrial Sector, Valuation and True Value/True Cost Analysis, and Related Capital Markets.  Themes: Improving 'Value Literacy;' Embedding Sustainability in Capital and Management Planning; and Financing Sustainability.
□  Thursday, Oct. 7th  "Healing Cities"  Advancing understanding of the intersection of urban design, human health and community well-being.  Strategies to address urban planning processes and design to foster community health, connectivity and the creation of whole communities.  Content to address professionals in urban planning and design, health management, related health fields, media and social media, social narrative, and community development.  

250-858-4600

ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROUNDTABLE AND DRIVE-A-THON

Event will take place on Thursday, September 30, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. at Valcucine's showroom in Beverly Hills. The distinctive presentation reinforces SBCLA's commitment to showcasing environmentally-conscious businesses, and spotlighting cutting-edge sustainability trends and best practices across a broad range of industry sectors.
Moderated by Plug In America's (http://www.pluginamerica.org) VP, Paul Scott, who is also President of the Electric Vehicle Association of Southern California, "Electric Vehicle Roundtable and Drive-a-thon" presents:
** Paul Wilbur, President and CEO, Aptera (http://www.aptera.com)
** K. Forest Beanum, VP of Public Affairs & Communications, CODA Automotive (http://www.codaautomotive.com)
** Richard Steinberg, Manager, Electric Vehicle Operations and Strategy, BMW of North America, LLC (http://www.bmwusa.com/ActiveE)
** Eric Shieh, Account Executive, Coulomb Technologies (http://www.coulombtech.com)
** Mike Sullivan, Owner and President, LAcarGUY (http://www.lacarguy.com/green)
This distinguished group of professionals--representing the cycle of invention to delivery and consumer use--will address the value proposition of these businesses and California's leading role in the sector's growth. "We will explain why this technology will improve our environment, strengthen our economy and increase our national security," states Paul Scott, VP, Plug In America. "With the new era of electric vehicles mere months away, this is information vital to anyone who cares about these issues," Scott added. For More INFO: Sustainable Business Council of L.A.

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Greening Los Angeles: Villaraigosa And Schwarzenegger On The Water Team

"Mark Twain once said, 'Whiskey is for drinking, but water is worth fighting for," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the signing of the historic water reform legislation November 6, 2009.

Introducing and speaking alongside the Governor was L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. 

                                                                                                                   Watch Video Here

Video  courtesy of HeadingtonMedia.

 

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