Survey

If you have ever been to a TNG meeting, or thought about going to a TNG meeting, please take our survey.

In other news, the Guster concert was a lot of fun. We sold lots of hats and some T-shirts, including some for the band. The band was cool, holding a town-hall forum and inviting us onto their bio-diesel bus (only 20% bio, 80% diesel, but who's counting?) and hanging out in the Red Herring afterwards. Mark Orlowski was in fine form, discussing the finer points of environmental activism and leveraging the endowment.

Finally, shooting of the, as yet unnamed, movie is progressing well. I have to dress up like Indiana Jones tomorrow. "Why?" you might ask. Well, you'll have to wait to find out.

Lastly, I have a few job opportunities that I'm supposed to pass on. If you're looking for something to do for the summer, I'll forward them to you.

Eph on PBS

Mark Orlowski explains his work on sustainable endowments in an interview with PBS.

Mark is currently touring the country with Guster. The Campus Consciousnes tour will be stopping in the purple valley this Thursday. Members of the band will be at a town hall forum at 2:30 in Brooks-Rogers before the concert to talk about environmental consciousness and giving out backstage passes for the show.

Two words: dead sexy.

Expanding Membership / stats

A Greener Eph is expanding its authorship. In an effort to make this blog a more comprehensive look at what's going on at Williams, I have invited several students to join. I'm also looking for a couple administrators and faculty who would write for us occasionally. If you are interested, please leave a message or send me an email. Blogging has been a great way for me to get my thoughts together, meet people working on similar projects accross the country and get recognition for great things Williams does.

For an update of readership (not that this is too exciting), hits have been steadily increasing. We average over 20 webviews a day, about %30 of those are returning visitors. You can view Technorati ranking here and webstats4u counter here.

Global Warming Rap

There are a lot of songs, raps, skits and clips about global warming these days. If you've visited the Step it Up website, they have dozens of songs composed for the occasion. A youtube search for Al Gore Rap, global warming music, etc. will turn up lots of hits.

Its great that there are so many, we are, after all, Time Magazine's people of the year because of this content. I want to commend the SSC, Step it Up, Energy Action and so many other groups for promoting this media movement. However, with so much stuff out there, how do we separate the wheat from the chaff? Chill-out was an amazing effort to bring the best efforts to the people, but I'd like to post one here that wasn't entered in the contest.

I saw these two high school students when Al Gore spoke in Great Barrington, MA. An audience member asked Gore how we make this issue cool to the next generation (us). Instead of answering, he nearly gave the event organizers heart attacks and invited these two teenagers up on stage. These two kids stole the show. I asked them about producing their act, (and I've heard through the grapevine that Gore is going to pay them to produce it proffessionally), but I found this copy that finally made it online. The quality's not great, so turn up the volume, but its worth it.



Aaron and Conor keep it up. I'm a fan.

Global Warming: A Hot Topic On A COOL Day

News article on the rally.

I am very disapointed to see a lack of a few key elements.

1. There is no photo of the ribbon up the steeple (even among the ones I didn't copy here), arguably the most inventive part of the rally.

2. Hundreds of postcards were signed to congressmen. The entire rally was designed to reach congress, but that aspect seems to be lost in this article.



By Susan Bush - April 14, 2007

Center for International Environment and Resource Policy At Tufts Director William Moomaw [Photo by Sue Bush]

Williamstown - First, one encountered a couldn't-miss-it-with-eyes-closed bright orange timeline measuring the fossil-fuel emission levels between the year 1,000 A.D. and 2007.

The fluorescent tape stretched over the First Congregational Church lawn in a nearly straight line, and then curved sharply and steeply upward toward the church steeple. The sudden jump skyward represented the increase in emissions that began during the beginning of the 20th century.

The stunning illustration was part of a Step It Up day event initiated by environmental activist Bill McKibben. Step It Up events were held nation-wide and several Berkshire region communities hosted global warming/climate change events throughout the day.

Long tables served as information booths for numerous local organizations, including the town Carbon Dioxide Lowering [COOL]Committee, the Hoosic River Watershed Association, the Northeast Organic Farming Association, and the Center for Ecological Technology.

Start Pedaling

Members of a recently formed Mount Greylock Regional High School Youth Environmental Squad attended the rally. MGRHS student and global warming activist Rachel Payne was an event speaker. Squad members Isabel Kaufman and Sam Shuker-Hainer offered their thoughts about the issue and the event.

"There are things that everybody can do [to reduce emissions]," said Kaufman. "Right now, in terms of daily life, I really think that changing light bulbs [from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs] is the one thing that can easily be done."

Shuker-Hainer noted the crowd size and an absence of bicycles.

"I think the most important thing is not to use cars," he said. "Most of the people here could have ridden a bicycle. When you are just going around town, you can use a bicycle, or walk."

COOL committee member Wendy Penner said that she was delighted with the turnout. By noontime, about 130 people were gathered on the church campus.

"I'm just thrilled that this is happening," she said, as she worked to start a recording of Melissa Etheridge singing "I Need To Wake Up."

"We Need Policies Today"

Town Selectwoman and COOL Committee member Jane Allen [Photo by Sue Bush]

Tufts University Center for International Environment and Resource Policy Director William Moomaw told the crowd that fossil fuel use and its' consequences are responsible for a host of problems, including an increased incidence of asthma in urban children and the inhumane, horrific situation in Darfur.

Moomaw is among the authors of a Union of Concerned Scientists and the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment compiled study titled "Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast." He has been quoted as stating that if the Northeast were a nation, it would be the seventh-largest emitter of heat-trapping gasses in the world.

Today, Moomaw told the crowd that "I really like being able to work on the solutions."

"This is not about inventing some science fiction future," Moomaw said. "We need policies today."

Moomaw charged that U.S. power plants are operating less efficiently than those being built in China.

A Three Percent Challenge

The U.S. government is encouraging the nation's power producers to stick with 19th and 20th century strategies and technologies rather than support and reward the use of new, 21st century technologies and developing additional, fossil-fuel weaning strategies.

Change must occur at the federal, state, local, and personal level, Moomaw said. and noted that on the local level, municipal building inspectors could advise people about building "green."

Moomaw said he was "delighted" to learn about Brian Fairbank's plan to erect a wind turbine at Jiminy Peak and plans for construction of a biomass facility in Pittsfield.

The Step It Up goal is an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050; to meet that goal, individuals must reduce their household carbon dioxide emissions by three percent, Moomaw said.

What's Done Is Done

Steven Fein, Elizabeth Smith and Wendy Penner [Photo by Sue Bush]

HooRWA Board of Directors Vice-president Lauren Stevens emphasized that the damage already done cannot be reversed. Speaking during an on-site interview, he said that people should be willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent further damage.

"This cannot be reversed," he said. "It can be reduced by taking action now."

Stevens noted the size and diversity of those at the rally.

"This is a big cross-section of people," he said. "I think it will raise awareness. I am particularly interested in the impact [of global warming] on the Hoosic River."

During his remarks, state Rep. Daniel E. Bosley D-North Adams said that individuals such as Moomaw "will lead us out of this."

My Town's Greener Than Your Town

State officials should lead by example, he added, and noted that there are many, many state-owned rooftops that should be hosting photovoltaic panels. Wind turbines should be up and running, Bosley said, although he cautioned that the turbines should not turn from all the mountaintops because the state's beautiful scenery is vital to the residents.

Bosley tossed out the idea that municipalities should be challenging each other to see which community can be the most energy efficient.

Volatile Weather Likely

Several speakers commented on the damp, raw, unseasonably cold chill of the mid-April day. Williams College student Justin Bates, who was a scheduled speaker, said during an interview that initially, global warming is likely to produce weather anomalies that may not always result in heat.

Youth Environmental Squad members Isabel Kaufman and Sam Shuker-Hainer
[Photo by Sue Bush]

"Global warming can make things very volatile," Bates said. "It's safe to say that the weather will be very unpredictable."

Williamstown Proactive With Emission Reduction Strategies

Town Selectwoman and COOL committee member Jane Allen reminded the crowd of town actions taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The town's elementary school is designated as a "green building" and students are involved in recycling efforts, she said. Residents who own certain fuel efficient or hybrid vehicles are eligible for excise rebates, and the David and Joyce Milne Public Library hosts photovoltaic panels.

The town's emissions reduction efforts were given tremendous support by Williams College and college president Morton Schapiro earlier this year, when Schapiro announced that the college is striving to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent by 2020.

State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, Williams College Chaplain Rev. Richard Spalding, Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser of Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams and Fairbank, who is the CEO of Jiminy Peak, were among the event speakers.

All Life On Earth

First Congregational Church Rev. Carrie Bail welcomed those in attendance.

Global warming is a community issue, a human rights issue, and a justice issue, she said.

"This will impact all life on Earth," Bail said. "This requires immediate
attention because it is the right thing to do."

Susan Bush may be reached via e-mail at
suebush@iberkshires.com or 413-663-3384 exit. 29.

Step it Up!

Step it up was a big success today. Thanks to the community organizers in getting this together. Over 100 people gathered in front of the church to listen to speeches, sign postcards to congressmen and rally for the climate. Over 400 postcards were signed to representatives and senators, which TNG will mail. A wide, orange ribbon hung from the church steeple showing carbon levels in the atmosphere for the last 1000 years. More updates later...

This Week at Williams

Spring is here, even if the weather is making up for January, and the feverish pace of projects has increased.

- Do it in the Dark started this week, complete with a huge banner in Paresky. The contest will run for three weeks, with prizes still in the works but likely to be more creative than previous competitions.

- Step it Up appears to have cold and cloudy weather, but that won't stop plans from going ahead. We are tabling with postcards to congressmen today and tomorrow and we're hoping Saturday goes well.

- Collette and Vickie are tackling an ambitious project to film a movie about Williams sustainability to show to first-years at orientation. I've been told I need to dress up as Al Gore for it, which might require putting on some weight.

- Others are talking about renovating a co-op to be carbon neutral with insulation, heating, appliances, etc. researched and installed by students as a demonstration for the school.

- I visited the Berkshire Youth Conference and led a discussion with 15 high-school students from the county. They impressed me with their views and ideas. I tried to lead them towards a better understanding of using moral incentives vs. economic incentives to encourage environmentalism, how govt. policy can and should influence the market and how to make saving the environment (aka us) cool. They were pretty psyched at that point in the discussion when I passed out Do it in the Dark bumper stickers to all of them. Lastly, I tried to convey how important it was to have a group, to exercise strong leadership and encourage other leaders, because our strength lies in organization, dedication and numbers.

- Next Monday there is a special tour for prospective students on sustainability at Williams that I'm leading with Stephanie Boyd. More on that later.

- Next week we also meet to discuss 'greening the first years' with the deans and campus life. Again, more on that later.

- Guster is coming! Two weeks until we get to meet the band, table at their event and generally enjoy how cool we are.

Spring's exciting, lots to do and lots of energy to do it.

Climate Summer

The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA can now regulate greenhouse gas emissions. (link) Just because it can, doesn't mean it will. The EPA is still controlled by the White house and there is still no legislation in place. (link) What do these far away happenings in DC have to do with little ole' Williamstown? (I mean, aside from the obvious.)

It means now is the time to increase our efforts. One way I'll be doing that is working in Concord, NH this summer with Climate Summer. From the website:

But if we are going to succeed, now is the time to educate the public and encourage leaders to rise to the challenge of confronting global warming. This summer, in the tradition of the original Freedom Summer campaign, we will work with residents in New Hampshire and Iowa to change the current dynamic surrounding global warming and send a strong signal that inaction is no longer an option.

The 2008 presidential nomination process in these two states provides a national platform to engage and shape the public debate on clean energy and global warming. The focus and megaphone of the national media allow individual actions to gain national attention and make it so we can effectively raise the public debate to ensure leadership on this critical issue.

We are shifting away from campus politics and onto the national scene, and we are strong. All the skills that we have learned about speaking to administrators, educating and exciting the public and generally kicking ass are now going to be transferred to the community, state and national levels. Step it Up is the start, but its only the beginning.

We have a unique opportunity fight an environmental campaign in a new way. We are not lobbying for small changes, compromising and making long-term plans. Instead, we are creating and riding on a movement, a huge section of the American public already supports us and it is up to us to galvanize that support, to listen to the science and hold out legislators to the highest standards.

This is the most important thing any of us have been involved in, and in 30 years you won't remember the skipped classes, lost sleep or endless meetings. You will remember being a part of solving the biggest issue of our generation.

Step It Up and COOL committee CFL Exchange

Sorry this is long. These are two press releases about town events.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MEDIA CONTACT: Rev. Carrie Bail, Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser
First Congregational Church, Williamstown
Congregation Beth Israel, North Adams
Rev.cbail@verizon.net
Rabbi@cbiweb.org

458-4273

STEP IT UP RALLY FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

A rally for action on climate change will be held on Saturday, April 14 from noon to 2PM, on the front steps of First Congregational Church in Williamstown. This event is part of a national day of action, Step It Up (see stepitup2007.org), organized by climate change scholar and activist Bill McKibben. Local actions will be held in iconic places such as levees in New Orleans, melting glaciers on Mt. Rainier, underwater on Key West's endangered coral reefs, and even in Williamstown, on the steps of a New England church. Over 1,100 events like these will send the message “Step it up Congress, cut carbon 80% by 2050". At least six of these events will be held in Berkshire County.

Climate change is a moral issue as our world is faced with human-caused changes that will harm millions, especially the world’s poorest and most vulnerable., and local clergy have chosen to take a strong stand on the issue. Rev. Carrie Bail, Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser, and Chaplain Rick Spalding will speak. Other speakers include Senator Ben Downing, Jiminy Peak CEO Brian Fairbanks, Williamstown selectman Jane Allen, MGRHS senior Rachel Payne, Tufts University Professor Bill Moomaw, and Chuck MacNeil from Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.

The façade of the church will be decorated to illustrate a graph of the dramatic spike in carbon emissions in the last hundred years— with the final point extending 60 feet to the church’s steeple. The event will feature music by student performers from Williams College and Mount Greylock Regional High School, and opportunities for people to take action to fight climate change. Actions include: purchase energy efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs, sign up for green energy, take a pledge to reduce carbon emissions, and sign up for climate change study groups sponsored by the Northwest Earth Institute that will meet for 4 weeks beginning the last week in April. Water St. Books will have a table selling relevant books. Food will be available for purchase at the rally from Spring St. business Ephorium.

People are encouraged to bike, carpool, or take the bus to the event. Thanks to Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, free bus service will be available from North Adams to and from the rally. You may contact First Congregational Church in North Adams at 663-9940 to arrange for passes for yourself or your organization. People may park in the lower Stetson lot at Williams College, or at the Williamstown Elementary School lot and walk to the rally. In case of rain, the event will take place inside the Church.


*****************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Wendy Penner
Williamstown COOL Committee
458-4708
wendypenner@hotmail.com

"WILLIAMSTOWN LIGHTS THE WAY" ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING CAMPAIGN LAUCHES WITH FREE LIGHTBULB COUPON AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. GOAL: INSTALL 15,000 BULBS IN WILLIAMSTOWN RESIDENCES

On April 7, the Williamstown COOL (CO2 Lowering) Committee is launching an efficient lighting campaign –“Williamstown Lights the Way” – aimed at encouraging residents to switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFL’s. The campaign will include information and coupons to encourage Williamstown residents to install CFLs in their homes. To fight global warming, Williamstown has pledged to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent by 2010. To help meet this goal, the town’s Climate Action Plan calls for every household to install at least five CFL’s, for a total goal of nearly 15,000 bulbs.

Electricity production is a major source of CO2, producing nearly 40 percent of the U.S.’s total, so switching to more energy efficient bulbs is a simple way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If every household in Williamstown switches five ordinary incandescent bulbs to CFL’s, it is estimated that this will prevent nearly 7.5 million pounds of CO2 emissions each year, the equivalent of taking over 600 cars off the road.

CFL’s use a quarter of the electricity to generate the same amount of light. In recent years, the cost of CFL’s has come down considerably – some CFL’s cost as little as 79 cents – and the quality of the light has also improved. Because the bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, they should be disposed of safely. They are accepted for disposal at no cost at the Williamstown Transfer Station.

The coupons can be redeemed beginning on Saturday, April 7th at Aubuchon Hardware on route 2 in Williamstown. Also on April 7th, members of the COOL Committee will be at the Williamstown Elementary School pancake breakfast and camp fair beginning at 9 AM with a display of compact fluorescent bulbs, information about lighting, and a stationary bike people may pedal to power a conventional and an incandescent bulb.

The campaign continues on April 14 at the Step It Up Climate Change rally on the front steps of First congregational Church in Williamstown from 12-2. COOL committee members will be on-hand with CFL’s and educational materials. On April 21st, people may stop by The Mountain Goat in Williamstown to try their pedal power with the bike, and pick up their CFL coupon. On April 28th, the bike will be at the Milne Public Library where bulbs will be on-hand for purchase.

The free- CFL coupons will be distributed through the elementary school, and at Milne Public Library where residents can view an educational display featuring different styles of CFLs. Coupons are also available at Town Hall, Williamstown Savings Bank, The Mountain Goat, and Wild Oats Community Market. Coupons may also be printed from www.williamstown.net/cool.htm. The coupons can be redeemed for one free Maxlite bulb, available in two sizes: 15 watts, which gives off the same amount of light as an ordinary 60 watt bulb, and 20 watts, equivalent to an ordinary 75-watt bulb. The coupons are valid only at Aubuchon in Williamstown, beginning April 7, 2007 until May 12, or while supplies last.

The lighting campaign had an unofficial start with a sale of about 1,600 CFLs by 6th graders at Williamstown Elementary School. This event was sponsored by Aubuchon Hardware and raised over $1,500 toward the 6th grade’s trip to Cape Cod in June.

Most CFLs cannot be used with dimmer switches. For use with a 3-way fixture, only a 3-way CFL bulb should be used, which are also available at Aubuchon. Other specialty lighting fixtures such as dimmable and regular floodlights, globe style lights, aand chandelier bulbs are also available as CFLs, from Home Depot or at the Energy Federation Incorporated website. A 10% discount is available when you access this website at www.energyfederation.org/cet and enter promotion code CET10.