Global Warming/Energy

Meeting Times and Places: April 15 and May 20 St. Thomas Episcopal Church 2000 Highland Avenue, Rochester, New York 14618 - 585.442.3544 fax 585.473.4216

View a PowerPoint Presentation of our Group's Energy Policy: Energy Campaign

Find out what you can do about Global Warming:

What we're up to and how you can help: The Global Warming and Energy Committee has begun to implement the "Cool Cities" campaign in Rochester. We have been meeting with city leaders who are expressing their support for the campaign. We are also networking with various community groups to expand our outreach and education activities. If you have any questions or are interested to find out more, contact Keri at kakaminsky@frontiernet.net , or call our main Sierra Club number at 585-234-1056.

“Master List” for Suggested Committee Actions This list is compiled from committee member suggestions, as well as other sources. I have organized some of these “interventions” by type instead of by target audience because they can often be applied across categories. For example, “Structural” can be applied to any property-holding entity: business, private homeowner, government, school, church etc. Same goes for “Personal” because the decision-maker of any organization can apply these concepts across the organization.

Also, an excellent small brochure that will help you do many things specifically to mitigate the effects of Global Warming in our area. Check out this brochure. (It’s a PDF file and you’ll need Adobe® Reader®. ) to open and print it. The brochure: What you Can Do About Global Global Warming. --Please download and distribute this brochure widely.

(June 9, 2005) — Many property owners in Springwater, Prattsburgh and elsewhere are questioning the wisdom of sitting wind generators in such a picturesque region. Some feel that the scenic and rural quality of their towns will be endangered by these large machines.

The Sierra Club is sympathetic to these concerns and believes that developers and officials need to listen carefully to the underlying issues. Were it not for the backdrop against which these concerns must be viewed, we would be supporting these citizens in their struggle. However, a much deeper threat to the future of our region and our planet compels us to urge people to approach these projects with an open mind. We are experiencing an unprecedented rate of climate change due to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Massive killer heat waves, flooding, wildfires, acidification of oceans and lakes, migration of plant and animal species to cooler regions that leads to crop failures and widespread increases in infectious tropical diseases such as malaria and West Nile virus are now with us. Left unchecked, these will get much worse.

Urgent action is required to slow these factors. We need to dramatically reduce our CO2 emissions. Wind power and conservation are the best ways to do this now. Wind farm opponents raise the issues of bird kills, land use, noise, poor economics, ice throw and visual impact. Even if all of these were proven concerns, they would pale in comparison with the larger issues at stake. In fact, most of these arguments don't fly — newer wind farm technology has cut down on bird kills, land use is minimal, noise is equivalent to a summer breeze, wind farms generate at least 17 times the energy required to produce them and site setbacks prevent damage from ice throw. None of these represent any serious impact on human health and safety.

That leaves only the subjective question of visual impact. Many people find windmills elegant and graceful. Others do not. We are not suggesting that all windmill proposals should be implemented. Each site must be assessed critically for all environmental and human impacts.

Clearly, some sites are not appropriate. But, in light of the big picture, it is important to recognize the role that wind power can and must play.

There is currently no perfect replacement for fossil fuels, though a number of promising technologies are in development. In 20 to 50 years, a long-term sustainable solution will likely be in place. Wind is an excellent transitional choice because it is economically competitive and it has no long-term environmental consequences. No species will go extinct because of wind power. No lakes will be ruined. No weapons of mass destruction can be made from its byproducts. No increases in smog or asthma will result from it. No radical changes in the weather will come about as the result of these large, graceful machines being installed on ridge tops.

Once a more suitable and appropriate energy solution is ready, these windmills can simply be unbolted and dismantled, and the grass and the trees and the birds and the view can all return to their former glory, none the worse for wear.

Americans have a proud history of responding heroically to a crisis. Despite efforts by some politicians to deny it, we are in a crisis now. Our region has been blessed with a clean and abundant energy resource that can contribute to the solution if people are willing to change their view.

Hooray! We Have an Energy Policy!

We are pleased to announce that the Sierra Club Board of Directors approved the 2006 Energy Resources Policy at the annual meeting in September.

This policy is the conclusion of a long and very comprehensive 8-month process including numerous conference calls with chapter leaders and various other entities, an Energy Options Survey to Club leaders, establishment of a Interim Energy Policy followed by a 60-day open comment period, and review and input by the Global Warming & Energy Committee, Conservation Governance Committee and Sierra Club Board of Directors.

BlogWatch: Hybridblog.org

It's not updated as often as most of the busier blogs out there, but when it comes to substance, the Hybridblog from the Union of Concerned Scientists is absolutely top-drawer stuff. The Hybridblog often adopts a Q and A format, answering common questions directly from readers. Recent entries address inquiries about "clean diesels," the fate of old hybrid batteries, and whether it's better for the environment to hang on to an old gas guzzler or trade it in for a newer more fuel-efficient hybrid. For anyone considering a possible hybrid purchase, it's hard to think of a more relevant resource.

Three Films We're Thankful For

Today marks the release of two must-see feature documentaries, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (maybe you've heard of it?) is available in retail outlets. Visit the website at www.climatecrisis.net.

Turk Pipkin's Nobelity is a stunning look at insights into the world's most pressing problems as seen through the eyes of nine Nobel laureates, filmed across the U.S., and in France, England, India, and Kenya. It's available on DVD at www.nobelitythemovie.com or by calling 1-800-424-2593.

The third film is actually seven short films -- the Sierra Club Chronicles series. If you haven't yet seen all of these dramatic episodes of everyday heroes fighting for the health of their communities, you can now get them all on one DVD at a low introductory price of $10.