ENVIRONMENTAL CANDIDATES' FORUMS

The Big Bend Environmental Forum and the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee are hosting two candidates’ forums: Thursday, August 5  for local candidates (Tallahassee City Commission: Mayor, Seats 3 and 5; and Leon County Commission Districts 1, 5, and At Large 2)  

and Thursday, August 12 for state and federal candidates (FL House District 9, FL Senate District 6, and US Congress District 2).  

Citizens will have the opportunity to suggest questions covering environmental, energy, sustainability, and growth management issues.

Both events will be held at Tallahassee City Hall (300 S. Adams Street, City Commission Chambers, 2^nd Floor).  Both forums will run from 6:30PM-9:00PM, and will be preceded at 5:45 PM by a candidate meet and greet with displays by host environmental and civic organizations. 

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GO GREEN - MAKE NATIONAL DRIVE-THRU DAY IDLE FREE

The bane of anti-pollution fighters everywhere, the drive-thru, commemorates the $110 billion Americans spend at fast food drive-ins by designating its own day, July 24th.    Ever since the 1950's when Sonic matched roller skates with hamburger-to-your-car delivery,  Americans have enjoyed the fact that they hever have to leave their car to order, receive and ingest their fat calories.

Let's make Tallahassee the first to celebrate National Drive-Thru Day by going totally Idle Free!

Green Readers know that  unnecessary idling contributes to greenhouse gases and results in excessive emissions, negative health impacts, wasted fuel and reduced engine performance.

Idle Free Tallahassee - Leon is a partnership of state and local government agencies, universities, community college, and local businesses and individuals that are committed to reducing unnecessary idling through actions like No Idling Policies, Employee/Community Education, No Idling Zones, and a Community Pledge Campaign.

Use a moment today to join the Partnership for Idle Free Tallahassee - Leon.and celebrate tomorrow, July 24th by being completely idle free.  Enlist other drivers in your family, your co-workers and friends.   

Click here to take the pledge and choose to reduce unnecessary idling. 

Drive a hybrid, ride a bike, carpool or take mass transit?  Hurray, there's an idle free space for you here.

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RALLY FOR THE RIGHT TO DECIDE OFF SHORE OIL DRILLING

If you are anywhere, you should be at Florida's Capitol in Tallahassee tomorrow, Tuesday, July 20th to support the vote to put the question on November's ballot of whether Florida should allow off shore drilling. 

Hands at the Capitol is sponsoring the Let the Voter's Decide, rally about the special session called by Governor Crist to consider a permanent ban on oil drilling in Florida's Gulf of Mexico. 

On the 20th, the Florida Legislature will consider a joint resolution that would place the question of drilling in state waters on the ballot for November.  The question on the ballot would be:  'should drilling be banned from our state territorial waters?'

Event schedule:

10:30 AM Pre-event citizen organization, Cabinet Meeting Room, Lower Level, the Capitol

11:30 AM Join hands in solidarity, Capitol courtyard

12:30 PM, Break for lunch

1:00 PM Second citizen organization,  Cabinet Meeting Room, Lower Level, the Capitol

Afternoon:  Meet with your local Legislator

5:30 PM After event recap and party, Cabo's,                  
1221 Apalachee Parkway

IF YOU CANNOT BE AT THE CAPITOL, contact your Legislator today and tell them you support letting the voters decide!  Also call Speaker of the House Larry Cretul who has the power to prevent any vote tomorrow. 850.488.1450 or 352.873.6564.

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CLEAN ENERGY GULF CHALLENGE

On May 13, 2010 the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) issued a challenge to the nation’s brightest minds to find a path to offset the roughly 20 percent of oil that we currently consume from the Gulf of Mexico and import from the Persian Gulf.  

The Clean Energy Gulf Challenge generated interest from academic institutions, non-governmental agencies, private companies and citizens.  The plans received specify a multitude of ways that America can end our dependence on ‘Gulf’ oil, including increased use of electric vehicles, biofuels, fuel efficiency and various policy recommendations.   

Clean Energy Gulf Challenge is hosting a series of webinars this week to highlight the finalists. 

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, along with a panel of expert reviewers, chose three Clean Energy Gulf Challenge finalists to present their ideas to the public via lunchtime webinars on July 6th, 7th and 8th.   

Then the public will have an opportunity to vote for the plan that they feel best allows our nation to get out of the ‘Gulfs’ beginning on July 9th.   

Those unable to attend the webinars will be able to review the abstracts, the recorded podcasts of each webinar and the accompanying Powerpoint presentations via the cleanenergy.org website for each submission before placing their vote.  

 • Tuesday, July 6th from 12:00pm – 1:15pm EST – Dr. Jerry Brown, Founding Professor, Global and Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University in Miami. 

 

 • Wednesday, July 7th from 12:00pm – 1:15pm EST – Bill Bailey with the National Energy Independence Plan (NEIP). Click here to register.

 • Thursday, July 8th from 12:00pm – 1:15pm EST – Simon Mahan, Campaign Analyst for Oceana. Click here to register.

Once registered, you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join both the audio and visual portions of the Webinar. (Note: each webinar requires separate registration)

The $10,000 prizewinner of the Clean Energy Gulf Challenge will be announced on Tuesday, July 13th.  

  

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NATURAL GAS THE GREEN FUEL?

The City of Tallahassee's Energy Services Department has an agreement with the Tennessee Energy Acquisition Corporation to purchase natural gas over a 20 year period that began in 2006.  According to the City's Annual Report to Bondholders, the City will purchase 4000 MMBtu of natural gas daily for this 20 year period.  

Over the years, this City and many others have promoted the use of natural gas as an environmentally efficient and economical approach to slowing global climate change while providing clean energy to its residents.   It is cleaner burning than fossil fuel and coal producing "45% less greenhouse gases than coal and 30% less than oil" (from the City's February 2010 report). The original fight against using coal powered plants for electricity was won in Tallahassee by building a reliance on natural gas.

Under long-term  contracts with Florida Gas Transmission and Southern
Natural Gas, gas is transported  to Tallahassee.   The City owns, operates, and manages its own natural gas distribution system in and around the city limits and has agreements for services in Wakulla and Gadsden counties.  

About 10 years ago, the United States was facing "peak natural gas", with what looked to be declining reserves and declining production. However, "hydraulic fracturing" developed into what is seen as a cost-effective path to release natural gas that was previously thought unreachable. Hydraulic fracturing involves the pumping of massive amounts of fluid to crack or fracture shale deposits to free up natural gas trapped in shale deposits.  'Frakking' may have pushed  "Peak Natural Gas"  back decades or even centuries.

 
Today, over 97% of the natural gas is produced within North America.  At what cost? 

A cogent analysis of hydraulic fracturing was done by blogger, A. Siegel, at this link.  For your Sunday viewing, below are trailers for the movie, Gasland, now showing on HBO, Split Estate as well as an excerpt on 'frakking' from Democrary Now. 

Trailer 

"If you need a break from worrying yourself sick about the still-gushing BP oil leak, I can tentatively recommend you watch Josh Fox's artful and disturbing documentary Gasland," see Washington Post movie review here.



Fresh drinking water is the final piece of whether or not the US survives its quest for clean energy.

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GLOBAL WARMING, THE ONION AND THIS AMERICAN LIFE

In what cultural anthropologists are calling a "colossal achievement" in the study of white-collar professionals, the popular radio show (This American Life) has successfully isolated all 7,442 known characteristics of college graduates who earn between $62,500 and $125,000 per year and feel strongly that something should be done about global warming. 
from the Onion

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