Join Me in Becoming a MoveOn Member

I hope you'll join me and millions of others in the most exciting grassroots movement on the Internet: MoveOn.org Political Action.

http://pol.moveon.org/keepmeposted/

MoveOn.org Political Action gives people a voice in shaping the laws & policies that affect our lives. You can sign online petitions on timely issues like responding to terrorism, energy policy, and campaign finance reform, or you can just sign up to receive email alerts, all for free.

One of the best things about MoveOn is that each of us can help decide what issues the organization stands for, using a unique, online discussion forum. Everyone can post suggestions, and everyone can rate all the other suggestions. Those that receive the highest ratings can become the focus of MoveOn's action campaigns.

It's a promising idea: choose our priorities collectively, then act on them collectively. MoveOn's founder, Wes Boyd, calls it "network democracy."

I hope you'll join us today at:

http://www.moveon.org/keepmeposted/

We can all take part in choosing and creating our future.

Thank you!

Virginia Tech Football: Hokies' Hopes Are High in 2009

As per my assignment editors request at Bleacher Report, I have written an article previewing the upcoming season for the Virginia Tech Hokies. The article just went live and can be found here: Virginia Tech Hokies Football

Here is a portion of the article...

Pla­­­­ying in the ACC championship three out of the four years and winning it twice has set the bar high for the Virginia Tech Football program.

This year, the expectations in Blacksburg are higher than ever.

After what was expected to be a rebuilding year in 2008, the Hokies backed their way into another ACC Championship and won their first ever BCS Bowl defeating Cincinnati 20-7 in the Orange Bowl.

Now the team exclusively belongs to Tyrod Taylor.

If he can establish himself as a legit passer then Tech fans could be doing the Hokey Pokey all the way to Pasadena.

This year, a national championship is what it’s all about for the Hokie Nation.

Here are the defining games and the matchup battles within those games that will determine if the fighting Gobblers will be playing for a National Championship.

Alabama—Sept. 5, Atlanta, Ga.

The Chick-Fil-A College Kickoff showcases two top 10 teams and starts the season off with a bang.

This game features superstars and athletes galore, two big name coaches and defenses both predicted to finish in the Top 10 by the end of the year.

VT’s performance in this game will set the tempo for the remainder of the season...

Go read the whole article by clicking on the link above or here's another 1 all you lazy scrollers!
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies' Hopes Are High in 2009

UH Green Roof: Next EarthFromAbove Article

When most people hear the term “Green Roof” they most likely associate it with solar panels or some sort of new “green” technology to increase energy efficiency.

At the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Leyla Cabugos has been working on a “Green Roof Experiment.”

Well, this kind of green roof has a more literal shade of green. Probably considered to be more of a biological or botanical breakthrough, it still has some profound energy benefits without the high costs of new technologies.

As described in the executive summary of her work, “Green roofs are permanent layers of vegetation on built structures; used to moderate building temperature, decrease storm water runoff, increase available green space in urban areas throughout the world.”

In an attempt to “green” urban areas around the island Cabugos has put together her own green roof experiment that doesn’t require as much attention as some of the others.

I spoke with Ms. Cabugos about her project and even got a chance to visit the site during my time in Hawai’i.

She stressed that, two of the most important factors in this experiment were to find and use stress tolerant, local vegetation.

Cabugos has put together this living roof by spotlighting five native Hawaiian plant species in an attempt to offer more efficient rooftop solutions.

Her specific experiment is “meant to use native plants in a simple design that is widely applicable as well as low maintenance.”

There are many sustainable benefits to these green roofs. In addition to the pure aesthetics of adding more green scenes to the concrete jungles, the living roof will offer sustainable benefits such as reduced head load and cooling needs for the building resulting in energy conservation, as well as reducing water runoff.

Green roofs also offer a unique opportunity for a creative use of the space. Some have been developed for recreational purposes such as a mini golf course. Others have been used for community building and other social benefits.

One of the most prominent and sustainable examples is located on top Vancouver's Fairmount Waterfront Hotel. Growing herbs and vegetables on the rooftop garden saves the kitchen over $30,000 annually in food costs!

We should expect to see some tax incentives emerge from government legislation at the state and municipal level in the near future.

The experiment in Hawai’i has drawn much attention from local businesses looking to implement a similar living roof project on top of their facilities. However their progress has faced some challenges.

“Despite extensive implementation and research on the positive impact of green roofs throughout the world, the practice has yet to become popular in Hawai`i, where the benefits are likely to be amplified by year-round sunshine and frequent rains.”

Cabugos firmly believes that, “it is a very compelling tool offering a vast array of benefits- particularly here on the islands.”

She hopes that her work and research will push several state and national initiatives to start the widespread adoption of green roof practices in Hawai’i and other urban locations nationwide.

Leyla Cabugos is a recent UH Gradaute (MS Botany). Leyla currently works for the STEM Workforce Development Program Office at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, consults on green roof and urban agriculture projects and is currently working on aquaponic rooftop garden (http://www.ihshawaii.org/rooftopgarden.html).

She can be contacted by writing to cabugos@gmail.com.

Global Warming and Climate Change: Politcal, Economic or Environmental?

Published!

http://www.earthfromaboveusa.com/blog/?p=470

Global Weirding

Political, economic or environmental: these three areas are different ways to look at the occurrence of climate change

From a political standpoint we can see it as a sticking point for different parties and concerned organizations. Some will say that socialism and communism harbor themselves in the environmental movement or is a threat to political freedoms and diversity.

Economists claim that the environmental movement will curtail our economic progress and freedoms such as the pursuit of wealth. Are we willing to slow down growth in the physical area as well as business space in order to sustain our land?

The environmentalists may say that it is just another part of the global cycle or that it is a phenomenon that has just started in the past centuries due to the industrial revolution, massive expansion and modern “progress” of the human race.

But what is actually going on with our planet? Have we changed it as much as some scientists and Al Gore profess? Is this just another threat to capitalism, democracy and America in general or is it America’s greatest opportunity to once again lead the world in the direction we need to be going?

Lets take a look at some of the facts from each perspective…

According to the study done by Yale and George Mason, climate change global warming ranks 10th out of 11 national issues in the minds of Americans. Ranking behind the economy as the number one concern followed by (in order) the federal deficit, the war, health care, terrorism, social security, education, tax cuts, illegal immigration. The only issue that trails global warming is abortion.

Even though almost 70 percent of Americans say the US should sign an international treaty requiring the US to cut CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2050, it seems there will be a delay in getting the proper legislation through in Washington. But that is the cumbersome American political process that all of the issues face.

From an economic standpoint we know that the planet can no longer sustain capitalism as we know it. Resources are becoming scarce – natural as well as those stemming from our economy – and are being depleted at an astonishing rate.

Could this be America’s new avenue of growth and development? With proper legislation for responsible resource management and green initiatives we could once again lead the world in innovation. Almost half of the country said that they’re willing to reward or punish companies for their climate change related activities. So buying green is certainly on the mind of consumers.

As for the environmental perspective, there is some undeniable evidence that our planet is changing. Since the mid 1970s, the average surface temperature has warmed about 1°F.
The Earth’s surface is currently warming at a rate of about 0.32ºF/decade.

Observations compiled by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center show that over the contiguous U.S., total annual precipitation increased at an average rate of 6.1 percent per century since 1900.

Sea level has been rising 0.08-0.12 inches per year (2.0-3.0 mm per year) along most of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Extremists and extreme data such as this have our attention, but many believe it is made up. Are the numbers enough to scare us into change? Perhaps, but the summary of the study concludes that “the success or failure of climate change action in the US will depend, in no small part, on the ability of leaders, organizers and institutions at all levels of society to educate, organize and mobilize the American people.”

Will economic and political factors impede or advance environmental change? Will these global environmental changes push the economists and governments into action for research and development or can the free market move us to create the necessary actions and products to positively impact the changes that are happening now?

1,2,3,4 Action!

1) Reduce your carbon footprint– Here are a few ideas of how you can do that.
2) Investigate arguments on both sides and decide for yourself if it’s real or not.
3) Reward those companies that are “going green” by buying their products.
4) Engage and contact your local political representative or environmental lobbyists

Native Hawaiian Perspectives on Renewable Energy

http://www.earthfromaboveusa.com/blog/?p=435

Published!

Hawai'i Article

“Aloha” is not just a greeting in Hawaii, it’s a core value instilled in the Hawaiian people and culture. It speaks to a rich tradition of caring for the people and the land that makes up the islands.

Caring was the broader context of the discussion at University of Hawaii called “Native Hawaiian Perspectives on Renewable Energy Development.”

The event brought together policy makers, leaders in the renewable energy field and scholars of island culture to discuss a sustainable future for Hawaii.

As a part of the “Sustain Your Brain” series by the Outreach College at University of Hawaii at Manoa, Moderator Ramsay Taum helped navigate the panel through the tough issues facing the islands such as policy construction, community outreach and resource management.

The panel was comprised of native Hawaiians: Michael Kaleikini from Puna Geothermal Ventures, D. Noelani Kalipi from First Wind, Davianna McGregor representing the UHM Ethnic Studies and Myron Thompson from 21st Century Technologies.

Discussants included Representative Hermina Morita, Pono Shim from Enterprise Honolulu (O’ahu’s economic development board), and Senator Mike Gabbard - the lone non-native Hawaiian.

Early in the evening Taum grabbed a chair from the audience and brought it on stage. He explained the “Empty Chair” cultural tradition to the audience, “this empty chair represents the ancestors that preceded us and those descendents and generations that follow.” This symbolizes a need to remember our duty to honor both tradition and the future as we look to develop policy and grow business.

The future and past generations were both very well represented that night.

Topics ranged from the obstacles renewable and sustainable projects face on the islands, the future of the Hawaiian identity, and the need for local people to be intricately involved in the planning process.

In Hawaiian folklore, the tribes treated the energy we now hope to harness, as deities. As Senator Gabbard pointed out, “times do change,” and now those deities are offering a service to us – a potentially sustainable future for the people and planet.

When the floor opened for participation from the audience the tough “what’s next” question was posed.

Education was at the forefront of everyone’s answer.

From policy makers to universities all the way down to the elementary schools, people need to be more educated on this topic.

“Renewable energy is a pathway to peace- it is the decentralization of power, energy and politics,” Representative Morita eloquently stated.

Innovating for the right reasons, in the right ways, firm policy changes, lucrative incentives and devastating taxes were also highlighted during the discussion concerning moving these ideas forward.

As the night drew to a close in the open air venue on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus a simple truth held it’s place throughout the dialogue – We are Hawaiian, the culture provides that we will always care for our people yet, we have to be open to change within the scope of our values.

Those values that are summed up in a phrase that means so much more to Hawaii than just hello and goodbye.

The Aloha way can save these islands in the middle of the sea, maybe it can also go a long way toward saving the world too.

100-Mile Diet: Published

http://www.earthfromaboveusa.com/blog/?p=426

up and live last month!

100-Mile Diet

We are still in the infancy of this revolution. As I have discussed in previous posts we all need to start making individual changes on a regular basis.

You want to do your part, but how? Are you still struggling with how to initiate this change?

Well, I recently stumbled across an interesting challenge that encourages a way YOU can make your local community more sustainable all the while still staying true to the capitalistic fabric of the red, white and blue.

It’s called the “100-Mile Diet” which means eating and buying foods that are grown and harvested within a 100 mile radius of your home.

Yes, it will be a challenge but it’s one worth investing in. Even if it’s just buying part of your grocery list from the local Farmers Market.

Alisa Smith and J.B. Smith the authors and founders of this process, started the process in 2005 while in their summer cottage in the Canadian wilderness. They took on a rugged way of living and decided to live off the land.

“Every ingredient had a story, a direct line they could trace from the soil to their forks”

As described on the website, “The 100-Mile Diet is about learning by doing... Understanding where our food comes from, and at what risk to our health and to the environment. Sorting out how we all ended up eating apples that taste like cardboard and cakes made with petrochemicals. It was a challenge, but a good one—a genuine adventure.”

The cliché is; that everything is better when you know the hard work that went into making it. That’s one of the reasons so many of us enjoy cooking, being fit, building and creating, etc. We love to see the fruits of our labor, or at least we used to.

“Most of us pay a big premium for out-of-season foods like cherries in winter or prepared foods like spaghetti sauce, usually with a long list of ingredients we might prefer not to have in our bodies. Eating locally, we bought fresh ingredients in season and direct from the farmer.”

How cool is it to shake the hand of the person who grew and harvested the ingredients to your meal? How much cooler is it having a conversation with that same farmer and realizing that he lives just down the road from you?

“A local diet is likely to involve lots of fresh produce and homemade meals, and not a lot of junk food, processed fats, additives and sugar. You’re also far more likely to know where your food came from, and what’s in it.”

This challenge echoes a theme from my previous post that we need to reduce our nation’s dependence—a foreign dependence that is prevalent in all industries. If we can start to live more self sufficiently and include our local communities’ economy instead of buying from the large corporations we are truly living in a more sustainable manner.

This challenge also raises interesting questions about how we’re consuming. Can we apply this thought of buying locally to more avenues of consumption?

Did you know that a regional diet consumes 17 times less oil and gas than a typical diet based on food shipped across the country or worldwide?

If we can contribute to our local economies instead of those of the corporate giants then the movement gains momentum—the exact kind of momentum that can set a more sustainable precedent.

This is exactly how YOU, as an individual, can start to make a difference: Buy local, eat local, shake your farmers hand because he may very well be your neighbor too.

1, 2, 3, 4 Action!

1. Visit your local Farmers’ Market and BUY SOMETHING! Then go tell your friends how good it tastes

2. Ask if your local grocery store can label the locally grown produce

3. Reorganize your meal planning and ingredient shopping process

4. Make the Farmers’ Market a community event and a more available and appealing to working professionals as well as families.

-GB

Note*

A revised version is to appear on EarthFromAboveUSA & the Picture Earth Collection

And I plan on attempting this diet as soon as I stop traveling...

Tweet Tweet GB

You can now follow me on Twitter...

GBsWorld

Sustainable Capitalism: The “Green Lining” in the Recession

Live as of yesterday everyone... stay tuned for more =)

http://www.earthfromaboveusa.com/blog/?p=334


Gordon Bengtson

Sustainable Capitalism

This is my latest article that will be posted on http://www.earthfromaboveusa.com/
I have begun my internship and will be contributing to their mission on a regular basis in various forms of media.

I will be traveling, and broadcasting to a degree, to help increase awareness about the issues. Aiming to contribute to the mission of Sustainability I will be attending lectures, visiting projects and talking with various organizations and people over the next few months. I hope to cultivate awareness, inform and inspire change by visiting with as many leaders as possible.

We need as many Green Awareness Advocates as possible,as this is our generations calling to do something great.
This is OUR revolution.
This is Americas chance to lead the world in innovation once again. We can no longer just borrow our way to prosperity in the future. This is a fundamental TRUTH we cannot avoid.

I hope you stop and think about how you can become an agent of change as well.
We all need to start living in a more sustainable manner and lose the anthropocentric way of thinking. Remember, The world does not belong to us... it belongs to our children.

A Kenyan proverb-
“We have not inherited this land from our parents; rather we have borrowed it from our children.”

Stay tuned y'all...





Sustainable Capitalism?

We are all being affected by the recession. The economic downturn is felt up and down the social ladder and across the globe. From individuals and families to corporations and countries—we are all “tightening our belts.”

The crisis has contributed a significant amount of change. From the way we live, how we spend and to how we save, we are all doing things a little bit differently than a few years ago. There has been an awakening to the reckless ways which we have lived so far.

Short cuts, low margins, inflated assets, fudged numbers, the exploitation of resources and markets all contributed to an unsustainable economy.

Ultimately, that way of life led to our current plight.

It took a drastic and widespread economic downfall for us to realize that we cannot continue down this path and that things do need to change.

Now, I hope we can learn from this mistake.

But first, let’s look at how we got here.
To put it simply and briefly, in the 1980’s the United States decided to change the way we would grow as a country economically. Following WWII, a manufacturing boom occurred in the U.S. We lead the world in all forms of production. The top of the line consumer goods were made here in the good ol’ US of A.

We shifted away from manufacturing and decided to grow through by consumer spending and asset inflation. We decided to outsource most of the manufacturing jobs to any part of the world that could do it faster for cheaper.

I don’t think we realized the magnitude of that decision.

This period of growth was enhanced by the exponential growth of the U.S. real estate market and the emergence of a larger middle class with more disposable income.

That bred consumerism on a massive scale and encouraged dependence on foreign sources.

We want the biggest, fastest and most expensive things because we have let them define our status for decades now. Over 70 percent of the US economy is driven by consumer spending and that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.

When that bubble burst just mere months ago, we lacked the paper wealth that allowed us to turn into the rapid consumers and spenders that we are today. And since the shift in the 80’s the U.S. we lack the infrastructure and no longer create the things which we consume.

So, that leaves us: jobless, cautious and most importantly, dependent on others.
Not self-sufficient or sustainable in the least.

We are dependent on the manufacturing district in South China.
We are dependent of the various oil regions in the Middle East.
We are dependent on the corporations for economic progress.

Growth is the guiding principle of capitalism. But is it a sustainable practice? This is the discussion I hope to evoke: Can Capitalism and Sustainability live together? Or are they opposing ideals?

Yes, in nearly all economic circumstances growth is good. It makes money and creates jobs. But what happens when an America corporation gets big enough to operate on a near sovereign manner in a global economy?

The rise of the modern day corporation and its relentless pursuit of profits created the ability for it to function, nearly, without limits.

Exxon Mobil operates with a budget larger than 180 nations.

The corporate sector now wields great economic and political power. Not only that but they also have a hand in nearly every level of your daily life.

You know why we have the price difference between organic and non-organic food?

The non-organic food lasts longer because it has preservatives and other chemicals. It will be sitting on the shelves, in front of the consumers for longer. Therefore it will earn the farmer more money. Simply put, more chemicals will equal less produce lost. More produce equals higher profits.

Go ahead and pollute the bodies of the everyday Americans—so long as you can make a couple of extra bucks, don’t sweat it.

Organic food is just one small example of the bigger picture.

The economic system does not work when it comes to protecting environmental resources because it takes away from the bottom line.

The political system does not work when it comes to correcting the economic system because the corporations have a strangle hold on our politicians.

When the political system sticks its hand in the economic system, you hear accusations of socialism.


Capitalism has encouraged growth on so many levels that now it doesn’t matter if we have to sacrifice jobs for Americans, sacrifice American’s personal health or the global environment.

Everyone is aware that this country has an extensive history of moral, social and ecological evils that were all sustained in the interest of economic growth. For most Americans and American companies, it’s all about the bottom line. No matter the detriment, we are evaluated by efficiency and profit making ability.

Capitalism is sewn in the fabric of our red, white and blue flag.

Ah, yes the “American Dream.”

The driving force of capitalism is also a main concern of sustainability. Exponential growth is in no way sustainable.

In a recent study conducted by Yale and George Mason called “Climate Change in the American Mind” found that an astounding 37 percent of Americans are not concerned about the environmental issues we face. I encourage you to look at their findings.

Bestselling author and N.Y. Times columnist Thomas Friedman thinks that is just what it might take. “For most Americans (climate change) is not an issue. That’s one of the problems there is no Pearl Harbor of climate (change)…Once there is we will have a broad consensus about it.”

He continued, “I feel that once the climate Pearl Harbor hits, it will already be too late.”

I hope it does not take something as drastic as this economic downturn, a Pearl Harbor or a 9/11 type event to get people more concerned about the ecological and energy disasters we face.

Growth needs to slow for the sake of the planet. We can no longer sit back and ignore the issue just because it is prioritized lower on our “To Do” list.

A new consciousness is emerging about how we need to operate in the world—both economically and environmentally so you see the parallel. The growing sentiment is that there are major changes that need to be made so we can merge these two seemingly opposing ways of life and get them running on parallel tracks.

Action needs to be taken, policies need to be enforced and restrictions need to be placed on the giants who dominate the global political, economic and environmental landscapes.

It is essential that we draw conclusions from our past and apply them to resolving tomorrows unavoidable ecological train wreck.

More Travels...

...are on the horizon and I could not be happier to have the freedom and wonderful friends and family to be able to do so. So thank you to all of you who make my life so special and offer me unique opportunities like these =D

June 17-
Depart Charlotte at 9:30 am
Arrive Honolulu at 3:00 pm

June 30-
Depart Honolulu at 7:00 am
Arrive Los Angeles at 3:30 pm

July 8-
Depart Los Angeles at 1:20 pm
Arrive Charlotte at 9:00 pm

So excited to visit California for the first time ever! I will get a chance to see San Diego and hopefully a few other parts of the "Golden State" as well.

I will be skydiving in Hawaii and crossing out a number of other things on the "Before 30 Bucket List."

This trip also gives me enough frequent flyer miles for a free ticket to anywhere in the world! I'm thinking Europe-for the second time around- and getting to spend some time with old friends in their native country of Holland... more on that later... Until then, be well yall.

Cheers!