Tag Archives: California

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Would you trade a redwood or an ancient Tribal burial ground for a merlot? …Corinne Ball, Change.org


A Spanish company is angling to build a new vineyard in the town of Annapolis, California. Sounds fine, right?

But the plans call for: 
Destroying 140 acres of majestic redwood forest,
Building the vineyard on top of  the ancient burial grounds of the Kashia Pomo tribe (many of whom still  live and worship in those woods), and
Harming the Gualala River, home to endangered salmon and other at-risk wildlife.

California  resident Marie Casias likes wine, but she thinks this is crazy — and  people around the country are starting to agree. Marie’s  petition on Change.org calling on the California Department of Forestry  and Fire Protection and other officials to put a stop to this is  growing quickly. And we’ve jumped in to help her out by asking you to sign it too.

Sign Marie’s petition to prevent the Spanish wine company from decimating Sonoma’s redwoods.   WWW.Change.org/petitions

It’s  not often that the folks at the California Department of Forestry and  Fire Protection receive this kind of national attention. Imagine their  faces as your message, and messages from 50 states, start accumulating  in support of protecting the forest. They’ll almost certainly think  twice before approving the proposal.

Sign the petition now, then forward this email to everyone you know:

WWW.Change.org/petitions

Thanks

for being a change-maker,

– Corinne and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Cement in Silicon Valley …Patrick Schmitt, Change.org


California keeps a list of law-abiding quarries that are allowed to sell cement to government-funded projects. The list protects citizens by preventing quarries that violate state labor, mining, and environmental laws from getting any state funding.

Unfortunately, there’s one major, glaring exception: Lehigh Southwest Permanente Cement and Quarry in Santa Clara County has gotten away with ignoring state requirements since 2002 yet sells 85 percent of its cement to state-funded projects.

Lehigh is one of the top-polluting cement plants in the country — and the largest in an urban area. Their mining operation and manufacturing process pollute the air with mercury and send poisonous byproducts into rivers and creeks.

Cupertino City Councilman Barry Chang has had enough of Lehigh’s hazardous practices and blatant disregard for the law. He’s started a Change.org petition calling on the Office of Mine Reclamation and the State Mining and Geology Board to take over from Lehigh-influenced county officials and hold the quarry accountable. Click here to sign Councilman Chang’s petition.

All cement plants emit some mercury as well as carcinogens and asthma-inducing particulates, but Lehigh expels higher-than-average levels of all of these pollutants. Its limestone is especially high in mercury, which affects brain development.

If Lehigh isn’t put in check soon, they’ll have license to continue violating pollution laws — and move forward with plans to expand that will jeopardize more residents.

The community at large has already made major progress pressuring Lehigh – and local group No Toxic Air is suing the quarry for its extreme environmental violations. But residents need more public support to defeat Lehigh.

By holding Lehigh accountable, we can set a precedent for other communities in California and around the country facing industries that endanger communities and the environment.

Lehigh has been hurting the environment and its residents for more than 70 years. That’s far too long. Sign here to keep Lehigh from receiving any government funding until it cleans up its act — or shuts down:

http://www.change.org/petitions/remove-lehigh-permanente-quarry-and-cement-in-silicon-valley-from-the-ab-3098-list-immediately

Thanks for taking action,

– Patrick and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Helping homeowners harness the sun


Official Google blog

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 09:16 AM PDT

(Cross-posted from the Green Blog)

Imagine sitting on your patio watching the sun’s rays pass overhead, knowing that they power your home with clean energy—at a cost that’s less that what you would have paid using just the grid. That’s what my colleague, engineer Michael Flaster, has been doing at his home in Menlo Park, Calif. since March of this year. He did it with the help of a company called SolarCity, which enables homeowners and businesses to begin using solar energy to power their homes and buildings.

Today, we’re announcing that we’ve investing $280 million to create a fund that will help SolarCity finance more solar installations across the country. This is our largest clean energy project investment to date and brings our total invested in the clean energy sector to more than $680 million. We’ve also launched a partnership to offer SolarCity services to Googlers at a discount.

In SolarCity’s innovative financing model, the company covers installation and maintenance of the system over the life of the lease. You can prepay, or pay nothing upfront after which you make monthly solar lease payments. All told, Michael will save $100 per month on his energy bills this year, and more than $16,000 over his 15 year lease, after factoring in his lease payment and lower energy bills.

 
We believe the world needs a wide range of clean energy options in the future, each serving different needs. We’ve already invested in several large-scale renewable energy projects, so we’re excited that this new partnership with SolarCity helps people power their homes directly with solar energy, too. We think “distributed” renewable energy (generated and used right at home) is a smart way to use solar photovoltaic (PV) technology to improve our power system since it helps avoid or alleviate distribution constraints on the traditional electricity grid.

Our investment is a quadruple-win for Google, SolarCity, its new customers and the environment. We continue to look for other renewable energy investments that make business sense and help develop and deploy cleaner sources of energy. Whether harnessing the sun on rooftops like Michael’s or in the desert sands of the Mojave, it’s all part of building a clean energy future.

Posted by Rick Needham, Director of Green Business Operations

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

BREAKING: Why I’m on a smokestack in Chicago


Community activists in Chicago are fighting for their lives right now against Edison International — the giant utility company that owns the city’s two coal-fired power plants.

Pollution from the Fisk and Crawford plants prematurely kills 42 people every year. That human cost is paid entirely by the communities who live in the shadows of these two aging plants. You won’t find it on Edison International’s bottom-line.

But Chicagoans are fighting back. And Greenpeace is supporting them. That’s why I’m on the smokestack at the Fisk power plant today taking action with other Greenpeace activists. We’re sending a simple message to Edison International: Shut down these plants and quit coal.

The corporate bottom-line for Edison International says that they can’t make money on these plants if they can’t poison the local community for free. Simple as that. It’s why they’re fighting city efforts to reduce toxic pollution and it’s why they really can’t afford the bad publicity right now. Which is why it’s so important you speak out.

Join us and tell Edison International CEO Ted Craver to shut down Fisk and Crawford. 

www.greenpeaceusa.org

What’s happening in Chicago isn’t unique. It plays out again and again every day in communities just like yours from Texas to Colorado to Pennsylvania. In fact, coal is costing Americans up to an extra HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS every year. Meanwhile, companies like Edison International are making a killing.

It has to stop and it’s why what these community activists in Chicago are doing is so important.

Edison International can make this change. They’ve already done it in California where their local subsidiary has become the largest purchaser of renewable energy among American utility companies and has plans to phase out ALL coal power by 2016.

Chicago deserves the same. Every community affected by a dirty coal-fired power plant deserves the same. That’s why Greenpeace is working and will continue working with communities across the country to make sure that coal companies like Edison International are no longer allowed to poison people for profit.

You can help support these communities by sending a message to Edison International CEO Ted Craver today. Let’s quit coal.

Sincerely,

Kelly Mitchell

Greenpeace Coal Campaigner

P.S. Please forward this to your friends and family

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress: the Republican led House is empty -the Senate is working on


The Senate Convenes at 10:00amET May 19, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 11am with Senators permitted speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees with the Majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half.

Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider calendar #80, Goodwin Liu, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit with the time until 2pm equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.

The Senate will be in morning business until 7pm with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Prior to adjourning on Thursday, Senator Reid filed cloture on the motion to proceed to S.1038, a bill to provide for the extension of expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act until June 1, 2015.

Votes:

74: Motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Goodwin Liu, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit: Not Invoked: 52-43-1(present)

Unanimous Consent:

Passed Calendar #51, S.990, Small Business Extension w/Landrieu-Snowe substitute amendment (1yr extension through May 31, 2012)

Discharged Judiciary and adopted S.Res.184, recognizing the life of Hubert Humphrey w/ a Sessions amendment

Adopted S.Res.192, designating May 21, 2011, as “National Kids to Parks Day”

Adopted S.Res.193, honoring the bicentennial of the City of Astoria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on May 23, 2011