Oct 24 - Wonderful PR, Santa Cruz County Proclamation, 350 flags,

Please try to have your organization or community organize an event for October 24.

Here's the latest:

(1) Santa Cruz County has issued official proclamation for Oct 24 - International Climate Action Day.  I hope to put online

(2) We've gotten some wonderful PR:
GT Weekly, Greg Archer's Editor's Note (October 7, 2009)

(misspelled my name to protect the guilty)

(2) Randa Solick is a teacher and has arranged classes at several middle schools  to  draw 350 colorful 'flags' or pictures with short statements from each student about the earth.   Hopefully  a photograph of the 350 will make to Times Square in NY

We'll try to get the 350 'flags' displayed at the County building until Copenhagen Conference (early December)

(3)  If you use twitter, easiest way to see what's going on worldwide for Oct 24 is here: twitter.com, search for #350ppm.
For local events, can check 350.org or facebook or LinkedIn or this blog.


(4) I will try to speak at next Board of Supervisors meeting.  Be nice for them to formally adopt 350ppm and send to President Obama; or even adopt the UK UK 10:10 plan.  I'll also take the Proclamation to County's Commission on the Environment and Capitola's.

(5) Santa Cruz County's Recycling website has a lot of good information, including 10 simple steps you can take.

(6) Here's latest  on the UK's 10:10.    Microsoft, numerous MPs, York, Coventry, Brighton have signed on.

(7) A bit unrelated:  November 13, 2009 is Global Smart Energy Conference in Monterey, organized by Tony Livoti of Santa Cruz.   A smart energy grid in the US (i.e. software embedded) might save as much as 24 mid-sized coal plants.   All those DVDs, microwaves, PCs in 'stand-by mode' add up.   Worldwide it adds up 200+ TeraWatts-hours annually - enough to light up Italy for 1 year.  Smart grids will shut things down when not in use or choose a time of minimum electrical load to wash clothes or recharge batteries.  (Source:  Coming Clean, page 181)

"The Pot is stirred!" - Time to Focus

Sent my last email for awhile:

-A reader wrote that the pot is now stirred;  now it is  time to  focus.  Good advice.
-I'll return to my reading and environmental blog, and allow the many good communities, organizations and leaders in Santa Cruz to run with International Climate Action Day. 

-Unity, Awareness, Climate Action.   See you on Twitter (#350ppm) and Facebook and on the 24th!

-here's the last of it:

Unity, Awareness, Climate Action in SC - October 24, 2009

[If you wish to be removed from this list, please just let me know - apologies.]


Latest Developments (Oct 6)


(Please see all events on 350.org or facebook "350 Santa Cruz"]
please add yours

-4-9pm Potluck & Film about Curitbas, Brazil    and facebook  [More on Curitiba ]

Climate Action Day in Santa - How and Why

Unity, Awareness, Climate Action in SC - October 24, 2009


==
Today's developments are below, but please read this:

I've gotten a number of emails with questions so I want to explain how I envision October and why.

First the how part:

As in other cities on International Climate Action Day, Santa Cruz can have numerous events/activities/teach-ins with Climate Day theme.  Every organization, club, school, church in town can do so  (tree-planting, teach-ins, children's activities, hikes, picnics, religious service etc.).  Of course, you do it under your own 'flag', just do something that honors Climate Day and our urgent need to act collectively. Can be public or private.  If public, please post it on350.org and facebook group  I'd like to see UCSC, Cabrillo, schools do similar things; again as independent entities.  Every citizen should be involved.

The public can go to 1 or many of these activities.  It is a day of Unity; we put aside our differences. (more below)

Morning:  This when I envision most of these independent activities occuring.

Afternoon:
March down Pacific Avenue to Town Clock.  At Clock, there will tables where various groups can hand out literature.   People Power will arrange a (fair) trial of one of man's most popular inventions.  Then there will a rally, with speakers drawn from community leaders, environmental leaders, scientists, etc.  Not boring speeches, but speeches which explain the peril we face and what, collectively, we must do.  I think it would be great to have a large TV screen to see events elsewhere in the world.

Evening:
Independent activities continue, but I understand their are other important events, scheduled long ago.


Now the why part:

I can stir the pot, but not much more.   But you can do much more  - you have organizations here, work here, live here, have children here, sit on government boards.  I don't.   I appeal to you  to act.  Nobody else can do it; all 200,000 people in this county must act.   Do not wait.  You don't need my permission or anybody else's. 

Santa Cruz must have 1000 groups dedicated to very good causes.  But I did not see much activity scheduled for Oct 24 on 350.org and so I asked around, still nothing.   I do this because I feel I must; nobody appointing me; nobody asked me.   I ask for Unity because, as an outsider to Santa Cruz, I don't see as much collaboration as I had thought. 
I can stir the pot, but not much more.   But you can do much more  - you have organizations here, work here, live here, have children here, sit on government boards.  I don't.   I appeal to you  to act.  Nobody else can do it; all 200,000 people in this county must act.   Do not wait.  You don't need my permission or anybody else's. 

And just who am I?  I belong to no group, have no organization or money.  I am the beardless, slightly unkempt guy carrying around 3 heavy bags, from coffee house to coffee house, intently reading month old newspapers (thanks Steve)  I spent almost 6 years in China and now I do not recognize or understand my own country or people.  I am nobody.  I spent 6 years telling the Chinese people, many of whom eagerly want to leave China for 'a better life', which the newspapers don't report, that they must fix their own country first.   Now it time for me to help fix my own.

I didn't pick October 24.   I didn't pick Climate Change.  I don't make the rules.  You can change the vision of the day, but I'd like to stick with "Unity, Awareness and Climate Action."


If we are  going to make October 24 happen, we need many events and I  will need  help, too.
-coordinate independent activities
-coordinate rally and march
-etc etc

Thanks.
==

Latest Developments (Oct 5)
-Sentinel posts Event
-lot of tweeting going - hope to go viral soon
-Beau of San Lorenzo High has taken over the Facebook page - and doing great - thanks!!
-people from Toronto, Bulgaria, elsewhere sending us support and local contacts
-Transition Santa Cruz on board
-Arcata, CA redwood event here.
-Google Climate Tools
-Letter from Gregory Bondi (below), who is working with Greg Archer on GT article

Tasks to be done:
-co-ord rally & march
-co-ord speakers & info tables
-AM activities
-publicity, posters,
-social media

Received a great letter from Greg Bondi, who sees the urgency and is also eager create Climate Day in SC.  (thx Collette)

Fresh Air at the Capitola Commission on Environment

Had a chance to attend a meeting of Capitola's Commission on the Environment (COE) on August 25, 2009.   The first surprise was the informality.   Chairwoman Kristin Jensen Sullivan invited all the visitors to sit at the table with the Commissions.   (Ok, it was a pretty big table and not enough visitors, but I was still impressd by this gesture.)

As the meeting progressed, however, I continued to pleased by the openness and ease of discussion, clear communication, and visible desire to make Capitola a better place.  A city council member attended, but you wouldn't know who was who unless told.  Everyone spoke.

Here are few of the specifics, and I looking forward to going.   They put 10x10 on the agenda, as well as sustainability.  They know much more must be done, urgently, on GHG.  But I appreciated th transparency.

Lisa Murphy, assistant to city manager, not a Commissioner, spoke at length about the polystrene ban (2006), the sucesses and now the need to crack down on the coolers being sold.  Sounded like she actually checked some of the stores.

She also spoke about diverting waste to landfill (was 46%, now 59% - but law is 50%) and her plans to go further.   There was discuss about green waste in Capitola Village, where room is limited.

Elizabeth Russell, one of Commissioners described working on GHG with ICLEI, Monterey Institue and a grant from AMBAG that covered 18 districts in San Cruz, Montery, and San Benito counties.   (SCC,city of Santa Cruz apparently opted out.  Reason?)    Because of the grant, Capitola is getting professional help and an intern to do the heaving lifting - free (grant provided  the $12K or so to do the inventory).  It will be done by November, though won't be public yet. 

Of course, they allowed me to complain that it should have been done 2 years ago, but I am beginning to learn about how governments work.   All individuals did agree of need for urgency and what can be done now.

Capitola even has a pesticide free park, and will have a community project to pull the weeds.   Melisa Van Ness organized this.  

That day SJ passed the plastic bag ban and planned to do EIR - a cost - which has frightened many cities away from passing similar bans.  Apparently Capitola banned polystrene before the industry realized it - since Capitola was the first.  

There was discussion about plastic ban and the general question about how green are 'green' products anyway. (Here is one website trying to do this.  It is not easy to follow the lifecycle and supply chain of a product - see Ecological Intelligence)

The Commission also has a student slot, a new UCSC student with experience at the Seymour Lab was nominated and seemed very qualified.

The final presentation was by Chair Sullivan, who teaches at De Anza College and has done a good deal of sustainability work there over the years.  The college had the first LEED Platnium building at a Community College.  There are also a variety of majors for students ('green jobs'?).  

She was asking if this expertise can be brought to Capitola?  I think she can.