Climate Change

Sound Cloud from 6/8/2021 Meeting with Rep. Sean Casten – Passcode: Zf+#CQ=9

________________

How a Plan to Save the Power System Disappeared

________________

NWSOFA Indivisible Climate Change June Meeting: Guest Speaker Chris Knopf on The Boundary Waters

________________

Faith in Place Partner Event Information and Updates

_________________

Bike Palatine Club 2020 Rides and Events

___________________

_____________________________

I am writing to follow up with information on electric buses as we discussed earlier today. As I mentioned, Pace is currently in the planning stages for their new north garage. My understanding is that they are interested in installing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure in that garage as they did several years ago in the south garage. Since the time they made the decision for the south garage, electric bus technology has made huge strides and many other transit agencies have committed to electric buses.

Given the urgency of climate change, it is irresponsible of Pace to put in place infrastructure that will lock us in to fossil fuels for 15+ years. Instead, I hope that Pace will reconsider electric buses for the new garage.

There are grants available to help offset the costs of electric buses. There is currently $44 million in grant funding available through the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reductions Act National Grants Program (https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-national-grants). Pace had previously applied to FTA’s low or no emission program (https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/applying/notices-funding/low-or-no-emission-low-no-

Pace had previously applied to FTA’s low or no emission program (https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/applying/notices-funding/low-or-no-emission-low-no-program-fy-2019-notice-funding), but was denied a grant.

Lake County, which is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Ozone non-attainment area, is in one of Illinois’ priority areas for VW mitigation trust funding. IL EPA, which is the designated agency for planning and allocating IL’s VW funds, has not said when or how the next round of that funding will be announced. The state has $109 million in this fund, approximately $88 million of which remains to be spent. When more information is available, IEPA will send announcements of VW funding through its listserve here: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/air-quality/driving-a-cleaner-illinois/vw-settlement/Pages/default.aspx.

As I mentioned above, we must take action quickly to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and cannot afford to lock ourselves in to another 15+ years of fossil fuel infrastructure. The Climate Reality Project, Chicago Chapter, would be happy to provide information or make a presentation on climate change to the Pace board. I’m happy to connect them with any board members who might be interested in such a presentation. In addition, there is an article at: https://phys.org/news/2019-12-toll-degree-hotter-trillions-tons.html about the urgency of action to reduce carbon emissions.

The CTA has had 2 electric buses in their fleet since 2014, and contracted with Proterra for another 20 electric buses last June (https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/06/20180614-cta.html). Proterra said that they would extend the same pricing to Pace that CTA obtained through their RFP. If Pace is able to accept that price, it would save the time and cost of going through an RFP process.

All the collar counties in the Chicago region have earned an F for air quality from the American Lung Association (Illinois). This makes it especially important that we transition our fleets, including public transit, to cleaner electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles make financial sense (The Very Good Math of Electric Buses). The lower maintenance and fuel costs of electric buses, combined with the grants available to offset their purchase, make the lifetime costs lower than those of fuel burning vehicles. Payback time for electric buses ranges from 5-12 years, depending on the type and cost of the charging infrastructure, and transit agencies keep their buses for at least 12 years.

Thanks for anything you can do to help get this information to your Pace representative. Please let me know what additional information would be useful to help Pace consider electrification of the north garage.

Thanks,
Kim

______________

__________

Arlington Heights company to install more than 5,000 solar panels

___________

Schneider hearing examines Foxconn’s impact on suburban flooding

__________

NWSOFA Citizens’ Climate Lobby Presentation 07/23/19

________

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Presidential Candidates Position on Carbon Pricing page 1

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Presidential Candidates Position on Carbon Pricing page 2

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Presidential Candidates Position on Carbon Pricing page 3

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Presidential Candidates Position on Carbon Pricing page 4

____________

DiMaioTalk – Changes in the Climate System

_______________

Starbucks sees greener pastures for consumer app, lids and straws

____________

Indian Trails Library solar panels go online – Daily Herald

_________

An Ocean Engineer and a Nuclear Physicist Walk Into Congress …

____________

Understanding the IPCC Special Report – Peter Gorr

_____________

Ambitious effort to clean up Great Pacific Garbage Patch faces major setback

______________

NWSOFA Climate Change Facebook Live November Meeting with Special Guest: Peter Gorr

_____________

_________

Starbucks makes big green store push

__________

America’s About to Miss a Big Obama-Era..

_____

How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country The New York Times

____

McDonald’s to Switch to Paper Straws in Britain as Country Turns Against Plastic – NYT

_____

Weatherman Skilling draws crowd at Palatine Sustainable Energy Expo

To celebrate the installation of solar panels on the roof of Countryside Church in Palatine, parishioners initially envisioned “a party with cake.”

What the event ultimately became was a daylong Sustainable Energy Expo drawing more than 300 people, with keynote addresses from WGN Meteorologist Tom Skilling, Argonne National Laboratory scientist and author Seth Darling and Des Plaines Democratic state Sen. Laura Murphy.

But no cake.

“We decided we wanted to share with the community and other congregations what we had learned,” said Mark Krivchenia, one of the parishioners who helped spearhead the campaign to outfit the church with solar panels. “In the end, it comes down to our belief that it’s an ethical and moral issue to care for our common home.”

The solar panels on the roof will cut the church’s reliance on traditional energy sources by 40 percent. They have a guaranteed life span of 30 years and are expected to pay for themselves after eight to 10 years, Krivchenia said.

About a dozen exhibitors were invited to participate in the expo and share information on topics such as native plantings, recycling, renewable energy, electric cars and other conservation issues.

Linda Sullivan, a member of the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club’s executive committee, said interest in her group has grown significantly since President Donald Trump’s election in November 2016, followed by his controversial appointments of Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and Ryan Zinke to serve as secretary of the interior.

“People have realized that they have to get involved and just being in favor of something and wanting something to get done is not enough,” she said. “Trump has started a movement, even though it wasn’t his intention.”

For his part, Skilling lauded efforts by scientists and environmental groups that have been promoting ways to fight global warming by focusing on ways to reduce mankind’s carbon footprint, the way the church has done.

Skilling talked about the broader economic and cultural ramifications of global warming, pointing out the loss of tourism jobs caused by the destruction or depletion of natural resources as well as human migration and military conflict caused by droughts brought on by climate change.

“The tentacles of climate change don’t just affect our atmosphere,” he warned. “People will say that climate change isn’t real, and it’s nonsense. The trend is real. Every serious scientific organization in the world agrees that climate change is happening.”

_____

Bloomberg Pledges $4.5M to Cover UN Climate Dues Nixed by Trump

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday he will write a $4.5 million check to cover this year’s US financial commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.

President Donald Trump last year pulled the United States out of the pact, which every other country has committed to ratifying.

In an interview with CBS to mark Earth Day, Bloomberg said he was obligated to honor America’s financial commitment.

“America made a commitment and as an American if the government’s not going to do it we all have responsibility. I’m able to do it,” he said. “So, yes, I’m going to send them a check for the monies that America had promised to the organization as though they got it from the federal government.”

Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist, said he hopes by next year Trump will change his mind despite his criticism of the agreement. But if the United States does not rejoin the pact, Bloomberg will continue to foot the annual bill, according to a statement by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charity he founded.

“Our foundation will uphold our promise to cover any cuts to UN climate funding by the federal government,” Bloomberg said in the statement.

UN Climate Changed ​welcomed the donation, saying, “Financial support of this kind is critical to mobilizing climate action leading up to 2020 and fostering synergies across sectors and geographies in the context of sustainable development.”

BACKSTORY

Bloomberg last year joined members of the US Conference of Mayors in opposing Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement and committing to meet environmental goals despite the move.

Bloomberg also announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies, would help coordinate a U.S. effort called “America’s Pledge” and submit a societal NDC – nationally determined contribution – in place of a government one.

Last year, Bloomberg pledged to provide the $15 million that he says the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat will lose from Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the pact.

_____

To Curb Ocean Pollution, U.K. May Ban Plastic Straws, Stirrers And Cotton Swabs – NPR

___

White Sox to become first MLB team to stop serving plastic straws – WGN

_____

This floating gadget wants to suck up the ocean’s trash – Mashable

_____

A major climate boundary in the central U.S. has shifted 140 miles due to global warming – USA Today

_______

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint – The New York Times

_____

Solar panels put savings on the horizon – Daily Herald

—-

Solar power industry lost nearly 10,000 jobs in 2017 – The Hill

——

Pollen data shows humans reversed natural global cooling – The Guardian

——

Preaching climate-friendly farming in Trump country – The Washington Post

——-

Trump’s Solar Tariffs Undermine Remarkable Industry Progress | NRDC

——-

Women’s Rights Issues are Climate Change Issues

______

Even Breathing Is A Risk In One Of Orlando’s Poorest Neighborhoods – HuffPost

_______

President Trump Slaps Tariffs on Solar Panels in Major Blow to Renewable Energy

______

Sauk County Board gives final approval to much-debated solar deal

______

In 2018, expect ‘clean energy’ to be cheap energy – The Hill

———-

Solar panels can live in your window blinds – Mashable

________

Green technology: Solar window blinds can both block and harvest solar power – TomoNews

__________

Trump-appointed regulators reject plan to rescue coal and nuclear plants – Washington Post

______

Solar panels have gotten thinner than a human hair. Soon they’ll be everywhere – VOX

_______

Love solar power but got no rooftop? “Shared solar” is coming for you – VOX

_______

Sauk County Board again postpones solar proposal | Regional news | wiscnews.com

________

Sauk County Board to consider solar deal Tuesday – Baraboo News Republic, Wisconsin

______

Life After Coal – Daily Beast

_____

The U.S. Is Tackling Global Warming, Even if Trump Isn’t – NYT Opinion

_____

______

11-21-17 “Before the Flood” Film Information

________

11-8-17 Sean Casten’s NWSOFA Presentation

_________

Lisa Murkowski Introduces Bill To Open Arctic Wildlife Refuge To Oil Drilling “This is not a choice between energy and the environment,” the senator said. “We are past that.” – Huff Post

_________

Green group, children sue Trump over climate change policies – The Hill

__________

Trump administration releases report finding ‘no convincing alternative explanation’ for climate change

__________

EPA’s climate website removes resources to fight climate change – Salon

____________

Climate Change Is Complex. We’ve Got Answers to Your Questions – NY Times

____________

Wind and solar power are saving Americans an astounding amount of money David Roberts/Aug 18, 2017 – VOX

_______________

Rauner-Funded Group Pushing Fake Science on Illinois Schools – Democratic Governors Association

________

States Dare to Think Big on Climate Change – NY Time Editorial

________

NGSS PRESENTATION 7.24.17


War on Science: Here Are Some of the Banned Words at Trump’s Ag Department

—-

Vail Resorts promises to eliminate emissions, waste and offset forest impact by 2030 Resort operator would like all of its electricity to come from renewable sources

________

This week, former Vice President Al Gore returns to the big screen with An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, sounding the alarm on the climate crisis transforming our planet and sharing the truth about clean energy solutions. We’re happy to be partnering with our friends at Paramount Pictures and Participant Media to help spread the word about this exciting new film.
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power highlights our Climate Reality Leaders in action, showing what can happen when people around the world come together for one cause and join the movement for solutions.
Our over 12,000 Climate Reality Leaders are making a difference now more than ever. On June 1, President Trump announced the United States would begin the process of withdrawing from the historic Paris Agreement, which brought 195 countries and parties together to cut greenhouse gas emissions and solve the climate crisis devastating our planet.
That’s why we need you to take action too. If you’re ready to get involved, download our I Am Still In action kit. We’re excited to share that Participant Media is featuring our toolkit as an action everyone can take to help end the climate crisis and uncover the potential for solutions and change.
In the toolkit, you’ll learn:
The facts about the Paris Agreement.
Who’s still supporting the US’ commitments to climate action.
How you can help build support for clean energy and other climate solutions.
Download the toolkit now and make sure to see An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power when it hits theaters nationwide next week. You also have the chance to buy one movie ticket and get a second one free! Click here and use the code CLIMATEBOGO at checkout. This is a limited-time offer, while supplies last. See promotion terms here: atm.tk/aisbogoterms.
GET YOUR TICKETS
Now more than ever, our future is in our hands – and we need you to help us seize the moment. Thank you for taking climate action!
– Your friends at Climate Reality

AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER
BUY ONE TICKET, GET ONE FREE
LEARN MORE

Climate Reality Project

______

  • EPA and Department of Transportation Public Hearing
    Thursday August 6, 2015
    Palmer House, 17 East Monroe St, Chicago, IL

    There is an EPA hearing on Thursday, August 6th at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel, 17 East Monroe Street. The hearing will start at 9am and end at 5pm. Once a person decides he or she would like to testify at the hearing the Sierra Club will set up a time that is best for you. This is also helpful for people who cannot attend the entire event. 

     
    Background: The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation have proposed standards to reduce carbon pollution and oil use from freight trucks. The agencies will hold a public hearing in Chicago on Thursday, August 6. With the support of Sierra Club’s Beyond Oil campaign, the Illinois Chapter will turn out supporters to testify at the public hearing, applauding the agencies for their proposal and asking them to strengthen it.
    We talk a lot about the Clean Power Plan, and the electricity sector is number one for carbon pollution — but transportation is number two, and these trucks rules, along with the fuel economy standards from the first term, are a really big deal in cutting down that slice of the pie.
    To schedule a time please contact
  • The House’s Refusal To Remove The Confederate Flag Is An Awkward Victory For The EPA

  • Faith in Place
    Faithful People Caring for the Earth

    July Earth Care Opportunities

    Last month we had several enjoyable nature outings, including the Beaubien Woods Celebration. Youth and families took advantage of the lovely weather for canoeing, archery, fishing, and more. People also participated in story circles connecting our stories of movement with the migrations of species around us.
    Also in June, Pope Francis released the encyclical on climate change. The Pope’s message is inspiring, and adds to the growing chorus of people from diverse religions calling on people of all faiths to live out our moral obligation to care for each other and the planet. Now is the time to carry that momentum forward. Check out these opportunities to get involved, and join people of diverse faiths in caring for the Earth this July!
    -Brian Sauder
    Executive Director

    Nature Outing – Kids’ Fest – July 11.

    Get outside and enjoy an outdoor extravaganza for kids of all ages! Join us this Saturday July 11, 2015 from 10 AM – 4 PM for a Nature Outing to Wampum Lake Woods. Activities will include fishing, hiking, canoeing, archery, story circles,and land stewardship. Register below and be sure to join the Faith in Place team by clicking “Join an Organization.”

    Learn More »

    Call the Governor

    Let’s keep the Clean Jobs momentum moving forward this summer. If you have not yet signed Faith in Place’s petition for clean energy and climate justice, now is a great time! Calls from 25-30 faithful constituents to the Governor’s office will also help make a difference. We’re going to have a week-long phone “blitz” next week (July 13-17) – all it takes is 5 minutes and a phone.

    Yes! I can make a call or sign the petition »

    Save the Date – Green the Church Summit – August 19-21

    Join us on August 19-21 to learn more about resources to help your faith community save money and energy by going green and connect with folks from different faiths around the country who are committed to better Earth care. The conference begins Wednesday evening with a worship service, followed by workshops on Thursday, and a tour of sustainability efforts throughout Chicago on Friday. Clergy and lay leaders from all faith communities are welcome, but the event is especially geared towards African American congregations.

    Register Today! »

    Save the Date – Nature Outing – July 25 

    Mark your calendars for our next nature outing on Saturday, July 25, time TBD We’re still in the process of finalizing a forest preserve location, but sign up to receive updates on this event. It will be a great way to get outdoors and enjoy story circles, land stewardship, hiking, and more.

    Sign Up »

    Coming Soon…New Website!

    Watch for our new website within the next month or so! We hope to provide people of faith in Illinois with better resources for Earth care with this update. Tell us about your house of worship’s green efforts to be featured on our website and share your successes with other faith communities!

    Share Your Green Efforts »

    Involve your Faith Community in Earth Care

    Is your faith community interested in doing more to care for the Earth, but unsure where to start? Are you hitting the wall when it comes to ideas for next steps? 
    Faith in Place staff are here to help ! We can come to your house of worship for an “Engaging Faith in Place” event. During this hour-long presentation we will listen to the interests of your community and let you know about our programs and resources for saving energy and water, using the land sustainably, and advocating for change. We’ll also help you connect with other faith communities in your area to make a bigger impact. 

    Yes I’m Interested! »

  • IL-Sen: Environmental Groups Make Mark Kirk (R) A Top Target With $1 Million Ad Buy
  • Pope Francis Climate Change Encyclical
  • How Climate Change Deniers Got It Very Wrong – MSNBC

[/orb-custom-list]