Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Passing 400


By Rachel Haxtema, Guest Blogger

Many of us heard the news in the past few weeks that the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is now over 400 ppm, an unprecedented level that will mean rising temperatures and other climate disruption.

Before we started burning fossil fuels in the 18th century, our atmosphere had a concentration of about 275 ppm. The concentration climbed steeply, hitting 350 ppm just before the year 2000. Scientists have suggested that 350 ppm is the most carbon dioxide that our atmosphere could handle before causing serious climate change. As Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org said, We’ve known for a long time that we’d pass the 400ppm mark; the trouble is, we’re passing it without any real national or international effort to slow down the production of CO2. So it’s an entirely grim landmark... Before we can get back to 350 we actually have to stop increasing carbon concentrations. That’s a political task; it’s why we’re trying to build a movement strong enough to stand up to the fossil fuel industry.”

I was able to hear Bill McKibben speak recently in Seattle at Queen Anne United Methodist Church – he's been a hero of mine over the last several years as he has fought tirelessly against climate change. Each time I hear him speak about the 350.org movement and story, I'm reminded of the global impact of climate change. The most heart-wrenching image he showed was of children in a flooded street in Haiti holding signs that read, “Your actions affect me.” Children in low-lying nations around the world are going to be affected most by the burning of fossil fuels, driving of cars, and excessive waste in wealthy nations – they will bear the brunt of rising temperatures, flooding, pollution of water sources and reduced food security. We know that Haiti is already a struggling nation and climate will only deepen the poverty and cause additional sickness and suffering. This is truly devastating.

We must see ourselves part of the interconnected web of all life and see how our actions are affecting others. Unfortunately, it is just too easy to ignore the climate warnings and the news of increasing concentrations of CO2. 


Photograph by Jonathan Kingston, National Geographic
Another speaker in the Food, Faith and Climate series at Queen Anne UMC, Dr. John Wallace, an atmospheric scientist and person of faith, spoke about the science of climate change. He reminded us about how many scientists agree about human caused climate change and described how ice core samples have been used to confirm the concentrations in the atmosphere for the past several thousand years. He also talked about the extreme difficulty of the moral dilemmas we face: limits to individual freedom, national autonomy, obligations to the poor and future generations. The biggest climate changes are far off and current impacts are subtle but the stakes are so high. Dr. Wallace believes that because these changes seem distant and don't seem to impact us, it will be important to look at all aspects of earth care; food and water issues may be more tangible and inspire more participation.

Barbara Kingsolver's recent book, Flight Behavior, a novel about a community affected by a mysterious event, realistically imagines how climate might affect us. Kingsolver is a great writer who tells a present day parable that links the science of climate change with real people - from farmers in Appalachia to tour guides in Mexico and everyone in between. Kingsolver is an amazing writer and imaginatively captures the potential for our communities to see real changes and disruptions and understand the ways that their community is part of a global phenomenon.

The only good news is that the movement is growing and more and more people are recognizing the connections between our burning of fossil fuels and intensified storms, ocean acidification and decreasing crop yields. From Earth Ministry fighting coal exports in Washington to ranchers and indigenous activists fighting tar sands and the Keystone XL, people are taking action in one of the wealthiest and most polluting nations.

And there is so much more work to do: political, social, educational, building movements, writing and creating art that broadens our understanding and inspires action. We need everyone’s gifts, stories, skills and work! I'm personally excited that scientists, writers and so many others are finding new ways to share about climate and its effects. What authors, scientists, climate news or stories have you heard recently that helped you further understand the reality of 400 ppm? 

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Rachel Haxtema has recently returned home to the beautiful green Pacific Northwest from Oakland, California where she worked for The Sierra Club and California Interfaith Power & Light and studied at the Graduate Theological Union and San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

St. Mary's Youth Group - Education Videos for Seattle Public Utilities


At Earth Ministry's 20th Anniversary Celebration on April 19, 2013, the Rising Star award in 2013 was awarded to the St. Mary’s Parish Youth Group.  This wonderful group of young people, led by Yolanda Quiroga, established a strong recycling program at St. Mary’s and has supported their program with a trash-free dinner (for 100+ people) for the last five years.

This group of enthusiastic and talented youth wrote, produced, directed, and acted in four professional-quality videos about sustainability.  The links are below, along with one in which they talk about why they did this and what they learned.  As part of this project, the St. Mary’s Youth made 20 presentations to community groups in the Central District and other neighborhoods near St. Mary’s, mostly in Spanish, on the need for safe consumer products and reducing waste. 

Enjoy these videos!

Seattle Public Utilities: Me, You, and Organic Food



Seattle Public Utilities: Do you Know?



Seattle Public Utilities: Miss Labeling



Seattle Public Utilities: Zero Waste Party



Seattle Public Utilities: Behind the Scenes of the Everyday Actions Project

ENERGY STAR for Congregations

Most Congregations can cut energy costs by up to 30% by investing strategically in efficient equipment and facility upgrades, and improving building maintenance. The ENERGY STAR Program provides free information and technical support to help manage energy and water use and save energy costs. ENERGY STAR also offers national and local recognition, technical support and resources, public relations materials, marketing resources and ENERGY STAR labeled products. Learn more about the ENERGY STAR program.

Congregations can use ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager, a free and interactive energy management tool used to track and assess (benchmark) energy and water consumption for an individual building, or across an entire portfolio of buildings, in a secure and confidential online environment. Portfolio Manager can help set investment priorities, identify under-performing buildings and verify efficiency improvements. As of December 2012, over 300,000 buildings in the United States benchmarked using Portfolio Manager.

By using Portfolio Manager, Houses of Worship are eligible to receive an Energy Performance Score, which compares facility performance to similar buildings across the country. The Energy Performance Score indicates how efficiently buildings use energy on a 1 – 100 scale; a score of 50 indicates average energy performance, while a score of 75 or better indicates top performance. A Performance Score of 75 or greater and verification by a certified energy rater, makes a building eligible for ENERGY STAR recognition for superior energy performance.

The ENERGY STAR’s Benchmarking Starter Kit includes a self-guided training, worksheets to assist with data collection and a quick reference guide for using Portfolio Manager. Find more information on how to benchmark your House of Worship with Portfolio Manager at: www.energystar.gov/benchmark.

QUESTIONS: Help is available from the EPA, Region 10, ENERGY STAR personnel:

Jim Borthen
206-553-1467
borthen.jim@epa.gov

Barbara Larson
206-553-1981
larson.barbara@epa.gov

Colleen Quinn
206-553-1648
quinn.colleen@epa.gov