Tag Archives: renewable energy

Koch Brother Fronts Flood into Kansas to Attack Wind Industry – REPORT

Posted on by

Correction: this post listed KS Sen. Julia Lynn as a supporter of the RPS freeze–she is not and her name was removed below.

A recent flood of Koch-supported think tanks, junk scientists and astroturf groups from inside and outside of Kansas are awaiting the outcome of a bill this week that could stall progress on the growth of clean energy in Kansas.

States around the country, including Texas, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina are poised to cut back on government support for clean energy jobs using model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC, which brings companies together with state lawmakers to forge a wish list of corporate state laws behind closed doors, is coordinating this year’s assault on state laws that require a gradual increase of electricity generated by clean energy sources.

ALEC and a hoard of other Koch-funded interests operating under the umbrella of the State Policy Network have hit Kansas legislators hard with junk economic studies, junk science and a junk vision of more polluting energy in Kansas’ future. Koch Industries lobbyist Jonathan Small has added direct pressure on Kansas lawmakers to rollback support for clean energy.

This fossil fuel-funded attack ignores the good that wind energy has done for Kansas, a state known for its bipartisan support for its growing wind industry (see key report by Polsinelli Shughart). The state now has 19 operating wind farms that have brought millions to farmers leasing their land and millions more to the state, county and local levels (NRDC). The American Wind Energy Association says that Kansas wind industry jobs have grown to 13,000 with the help of incentives like the renewable portfolio standard.

Unfortunately, clean energy is not palatable to the billionaire Koch brothers or the influence peddlers they finance. Continue reading →

Salesforce the latest company to commit to clean energy

Posted on by

The effort to build a world powered by clean energy needs champions in every arena of our economy: activists on the streets, politicians in government, engineers in labs, and corporate leaders in boardrooms. Continue reading →

America’s Environmental Future Starts Now

Posted on by

Originally appeared in Huffington Post

This Sunday, a new environmental movement will arrive in Washington D.C. Thousands of people will join 350.org, the Sierra Club, and the Hip Hop Caucus’ “Forward on Climate” rally to call out with one voice and demand Obama keep his promise to future generations.

I will be proud to be there with them. Continue reading →

Get the facts behind the Coal Conspiracy video

Posted on by

Want to learn more about the details presented in our latest video? Check out this point by point breakdown below. And add your questions or reactions to our Facebook chat or the comments box below.

Continue reading →

6 meaningful crowds: Biggest social movements with real change

Posted on by

Crowds have moved together to achieve amazing things for all of humanity for centuries. Yesterday, a truly historic crowd of more than 1 million people gathered on the national mall to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in our nation’s capitol. Continue reading →

Climate change is now reality; Doha talks must spark clean energy revolution

Posted on by
Press release originally posted to Greenpeace International.

Volunteers assemble a wind turbine during the opening of Greenpeace's 'Solarising Borobudur' project and Climate Rescue Station at Borobudur Temple, Magelang, Central Java.

Doha, November 26, 2012 – As governments meet for climate talks in Doha, Greenpeace warned on Monday that they must wake up to the reality that climate change is already gripping the planet and take urgent action to avoid catastrophic global warming.

 

This year has already seen devastating storms, droughts and floods causing significant loss of life, including in the US, China, India, Africa and Europe. This should be seen as a warning signal and a test of whether governments will protect their people.

“Climate change is no longer some distant threat for the future, but is with us today. At the end of a year that has seen the impacts of climate change devastate homes and families around the world, the need for action is obvious and urgent,” said Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace climate campaigner.

At stake in Doha is the future of the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding cap of greenhouse gas emissions, whose first commitment period expires at the end of this year. Continue reading →

Call Hurricane Sandy a freak storm. Or call it what it is-climate change.

Posted on by

A satellite image provided by NASA of Hurricane Sandy, pictured at 11 a.m. EDT churns off the east coast as it moves north on October 28, 2012 in the Atlantic Ocean

Climate change is now changing the weather. All weather events are affected by climate change because the environment in which they occur is warmer and moister than it used to be [1]. The past few years have been marked by unusually severe extreme weather characteristic of climate change [2].

Hurricane Sandy grew to record size as it headed north eastwards along the US coast. Less than 48 hours before it was due to make landfall Sandy’s tropical storm-force winds extended north eastwards 520 miles from the centre. Since records of storm size began in 1988, only one tropical storm or hurricane has been larger–Tropical Storm Olga of 2001[3]

New York and New Jersey suffer the brunt of the damage and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has certainly noticed the pattern in his state giving the below statement in press conference today.

“There has been a series of extreme weather incidents. That is not a political statement. That is a factual statement. Anyone who says there’s not a dramatic change in weather patterns, I think is denying reality.”

 

Continue reading →

Clippy’s back with a message for Microsoft: Give us a clean cloud

Posted on by

Remember Clippy? You know, that little paper clip that always popped up at the most annoying times when you were trying to write something in older versions of Microsoft Word?

Well, Clippy’s back, and poised to pop up at Microsoft stores around the country with a message for his makers.

Clippy’s advice: If Microsoft wants the new Windows 8 and Surface tablet to be modern, innovative products that appeal to young customers, they need to power their cloud with 21st-century clean energy.

Continue reading →

Students Pressure University of North Texas President to Embrace “Green” Slogan and drop fossil fuels

Posted on by

Students stand for clean energy

Down in Texas, a region that is notorious for its oil and gas men, the idea of switching to 100% renewable energy isn’t exactly an idea that is catching on real quickly for individuals or organizations with the power to make it happen; even at a university that prides itself on being a “Green Light to Success”.

The University of North Texas (located in Denton, Texas) likes to pride itself on just how green it is, what they truly are is guilty of greenwashing. This university still uses 47 percent coal energy and 12 percent natural gas energy. This university also has a fracking site right on campus that borders a dorm! Yet they still plaster this image of being such a green school all over the place.

take action

Continue reading →