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Water

Brilliant Op-Ed by Bill McKibben

May 29, 2011 by Beth Fiteni

Since I couldn’t have said it better myself, I am re-posting an op-ed by Bill McKibben that appeared in this week’s Washington Post newspaper.

A link between climate change and Joplin tornadoes? Nah…

By Bill McKibben, Published: May 23

Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo., you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Ala., or the enormous outbreak a couple of weeks before that (which, together, comprised the most active April for tornadoes in U.S. history). No, that doesn’t mean a thing.

It is far better to think of these as isolated, unpredictable, discrete events. It is not advisable to try to connect them in your mind with, say, the fires burning across Texas — fires that have burned more of America at this point this year than any wildfires have in previous years. Texas, and adjoining parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico, are drier than they’ve ever been — the drought is worse than that of the Dust Bowl. But do not wonder if they’re somehow connected.

If you did wonder, you see, you would also have to wonder about whether this year’s record snowfalls and rainfalls across the Midwest — resulting in record flooding along the Mississippi — could somehow be related. And then you might find your thoughts wandering to, oh, global warming, and to the fact that climatologists have been predicting for years that as we flood the atmosphere with carbon we will also start both drying and flooding the planet, since warm air holds more water vapor than cold air.

It’s far smarter to repeat to yourself the comforting mantra that no single weather event can ever be directly tied to climate change. There have been tornadoes before, and floods — that’s the important thing. Just be careful to make sure you don’t let yourself wonder why all these record-breaking events are happening in such proximity — that is, why there have been unprecedented megafloods in Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan in the past year. Why it’s just now that the Arctic has melted for the first time in thousands of years. No, better to focus on the immediate casualties, watch the videotape from the store cameras as the shelves are blown over. Look at the news anchorman standing in his waders in the rising river as the water approaches his chest.

Because if you asked yourself what it meant that the Amazon has just come through its second hundred-year drought in the past five years, or that the pine forests across the western part of this continent have been obliterated by a beetle in the past decade — well, you might have to ask other questions. Such as: Should President Obama really just have opened a huge swath of Wyoming to new coal mining? Should Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sign a permit this summer allowing a huge new pipeline to carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta? You might also have to ask yourself: Do we have a bigger problem than $4-a-gallon gasoline?

Better to join with the U.S. House of Representatives, which voted 240 to 184 this spring to defeat a resolution saying simply that “climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for public health and welfare.” Propose your own physics; ignore physics altogether. Just don’t start asking yourself whether there might be some relation among last year’s failed grain harvest from the Russian heat wave, and Queensland’s failed grain harvest from its record flood, and France’s and Germany’s current drought-related crop failures, and the death of the winter wheat crop in Texas, and the inability of Midwestern farmers to get corn planted in their sodden fields. Surely the record food prices are just freak outliers, not signs of anything systemic.

It’s very important to stay calm. If you got upset about any of this, you might forget how important it is not to disrupt the record profits of our fossil fuel companies. If worst ever did come to worst, it’s reassuring to remember what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the Environmental Protection Agency in a recent filing: that there’s no need to worry because “populations can acclimatize to warmer climates via a range of behavioral, physiological, and technological adaptations.” I’m pretty sure that’s what residents are telling themselves in Joplin today.

Bill McKibben is founder of the global climate campaign 350.org and a distinguished scholar at Middlebury College in Vermont.

© The Washington Post Company

Filed Under: Activism, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Water

Gasland’s Josh Fox honored on Long Island

May 22, 2011 by Beth Fiteni

The Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment, a statewide New York based environmental organization, honored Josh Fox, creator of the Academy Award nominated film Gasland, at its annual gala this past week. Gasland was the film that shed light on the controversial issue of hydrofracking for natural gas in the shale under areas of the country including upstate NY and Pennsylvania. Due to the numerous chemicals used in the “fracking” process, which are unfortunately exempt from the Clean Drinking Water Act, this method of gas extraction has been the cause of numerous cases of poisoned drinking water wells. Land owners are paid by gas companies to drill under their property, often not realizing the dangers. Josh is a personable, creative and committed film-maker, and his courage in making this film has exponentially raised awareness on this issue. See gaslandthemovie.com.

Josh signing copies of his film for guests, after receiving an "Academy Award" from CCE
Beth Fiteni and Josh Fox, maker of "Gasland"

Filed Under: Activism, Clean Energy, Film, New York, Water

New LEED Home on Long Island

March 11, 2011 by Beth Fiteni

I had the privilege of meeting Stephanie March through my consulting business, Green Inside and Out, after she and her husband, Bobby Flay, built a new green home in Amagansett. I visited their lovely, traditional-style home when construction was nearly complete, and helped advise the landscaper on how to establish and maintain an organic lawn. Low VOC paints and low-flow water fixtures were used in the home, and cisterns will capture rainwater for irrigation. The house is very energy efficient and utilizes solar power and a geothermal heat pump. They hope to achieve a LEED Gold status from the US Green Building Council.

In addition to the environmental features of the home, we met in NYC this week, at Bar Americain, to discuss the health benefits of using greener materials in the home. E.g. the importance of using green cleaners, minimizing use of carpets where possible, and asking for safer, natural pest control products at the local nursery.

This is an exciting project, one of very few like it on Long Island. I hope Ms. March and Mr. Flay will “live happily ever after” in their new green home, …and that maybe Mr. Flay will invite me over for a vegetarian meal some day! : ) A girl can dream, right?

Beth Fiteni and Stephanie March at Bar Americain, NYC

Filed Under: Clean Energy, New York, Water

Earth Week

May 30, 2010 by Beth Fiteni

In April, I was coordinator for Earth Week 2010 at Molloy College. We held a week of events and activities including several great speakers, all focused on the theme of water. See details on Facebook: “Earth Week, Molloy College.”

Sr. Mary Pat at the Earth Flag-raising
Kelly Coleman of Save the Rain, CA speaks about her work building rain catchment systems in Africa

Filed Under: New York, Water

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