Interviews with the 2007 winners of the Goldman Prize

Normal everyday people who are fighting climate change.

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2007/04/24/nijhuis-goldman/

Websites for Carbon Day

Add up your carbon offsets. http://www.countdownyourcarbon.org/

Count your carbon footprint. http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/



Carbon Puzzle http://www.powernaturally.com/Programs/pdfs_docs/21_Env_Puzzle.doc



The Carbon Cycle Game
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/teacher_resources/teach_carbongame.html
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/climate/carbon_cycle.html



Global Warming Games http://globalwarming.enviroweb.org/games/index.html


Quizzes to test your
knowledge on Global Warming, the water cycle, and the carbon cycle
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/version2.html


Carbon Cycle Movie
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/carbon_cycle_version2.html


Glossary for Vocabulary!!
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/glossary/index.html

What is your Carbon Footprint?
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/

Harry Potter Going Green

The seventh -- and, alas, final -- Harry Potter book goes green

From the Grist:
Is Draco Malfoy green with envy, or is it just the paper he's printed on? With only 121 days until the last Harry Potter book hits the shelves (not that we're counting), U.S. publisher Scholastic has partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to green up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The 784-page book will have a first printing of 12 million copies in the U.S., and nearly two-thirds of the 16,700 tons of paper used will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from sustainable timber. It's the largest-ever purchase of FSC-certified paper to be used in a single book printing, and the whomping willows are certainly thankful. In addition, the books will contain at least 30 percent recycled fiber, while the deluxe edition -- with a first printing of a mere 100,000 copies -- will be printed on 100 percent recycled paper in a renewable-energy-powered factory. Muggle-rific! So OK, fewer trees will die ... but will Harry? It's really all we can think about these days.

Other sites that confirm the story are at:
The Guardian -- http://books.guardian.co.uk/harrypotter/story/0,,2039221,00.html
MSN.com -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17706334/

Al Gore Presents to Congress

From the Muckraker website, Here are Gore's ten recommendations to Congress to reduce global warming:

1. An immediate "carbon freeze" that would cap U.S. CO2 emissions at current levels, followed by a program to generate 90% reductions by 2050.
2. Start a long-term tax shift to reduce payroll taxes and increase taxes on CO2 emissions.
3. Put aside a portion of carbon tax revenues to help low-income people make the transition.
4. Create a strong international treaty by working toward "de facto compliance with Kyoto" and moving up the start date for Kyoto's successor from 2012 to 2010.
5. Implement a moratorium on construction of new coal-fired power plants that are not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration.
6. Create an "ELECTRANET" -- a smart electricity grid that allows individuals and businesses to feed power back in at prevailing market rates.
7. Raise CAFE standards.
8. Set a date for a ban on incandescent light bulbs.
9. Create "Connie Mae," a carbon-neutral mortgage association, to help defray the upfront costs of energy-efficient building.
10. Have the SEC require disclosure of carbon emissions in corporate reporting, as a relevant "material risk."

What do you think? Will they work?

Go to this site to see a video of Gore's opening speech to Congress.

Current Events Extra Credit

Don't forget your extra credit opportunity. Find an article on websites or in newspapers, read them, and summarize the article for extra credit in Humanities class.

Here are some good news sites:
CNN
Washington Post
BBC
New York Times

Environmental Justice

Dr. Robert Bullard, who has been called "the father of environmental justice", writes and speaks on environmental justice issues in Washington, DC and other areas like New Orleans. Dr. Bullard says we must all work together to stop allowing the pollution of environments where minorities live.

New Civil Rights Battlegrounds
and
Justice in Time

Reducing global warming isn't just about changing lightbulbs. It is about reducing pollution in our environments. People who work for environmental justice are calling for equity concerning policies on pollution. For example, when we went to the Building Museum, they talked about different paints to use that didn't contain chemicals harmful to the environment. Some paints used in low-income housing contain lead that makes many people sick. Another illness is called asthma which is caused by so many cars and trucks not regulated in the city. Check out the article for other details on environmental justice. Dr. Bullard has some important things to say.

Are US Scientists Being Censored?

In a 3/9/07 Washington Post article it states that scienctists working to find connections to global warming and the extinction of polar bears are being told not to travel to other countries to discuss the issue. The issue? Climate change is affecting their habitat and they don't have time to evolve to their surroundings. Scientists are being told that must have permission to talk about certain issues involving climate change. Why would the government censor these scientists about this important issue that not only effects polar bears but humans as well?

After reading the article about listing polar bears on the extinction list, see the video. When you go to the article's website click on:

VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS (on the top right hand part of the page)

Ice caps are melting around the polar bears

Sadly, the video won't work from this blog.

Discovery Channel Video

Discovery Channel is showing a video about global warming and climate change on Sunday at 10:00 AM. Check out the website that connects to it. Ms. Andrews even has the video if you miss it on Sunday.

YouTube Coal Video

I found this video at YouTube about coal. We were talking about the effects of coal in Humanities on Monday. The video describes some other renewable resources that would be much better for the environment than coal.

Check it out for yourself!

New Green Housing Project

This article is from PLENTY magazine which relates well with our day today at the GREEN DESIGN exhibit at the National Building Museum. It shows that we can also make affordable sustainable condo-style living rather than just suburban houses.

The housing is specifically for previously homeless people in Chicago bracing against the icy, cold winds. "For these residents, the wind is no foe, but an ally supplying a portion of their energy. Solar panels, rainwater collection, and gray-water recycling are other features that set this project apart from typical subsidized housing. The five-story building also meets LEED certification standards."

Website Exploration

http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/gw.html
Climate change kids site with links and games.

http://www.lickglobalwarming.org/learn.cfm
Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream – Campaign to Fight Global Warming. Fun website with interactive games and maps.

http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus
Learn about the most endangered species threatened by global warming.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,1113542,00.html
Time For Kids special report on Global Warming.

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1542702
MTV video about how people can help fight global warming.

http://www.earthday.net/earthday2007.aspx
Earth Day is April 22! How did it begin and how does it help?

http://www.aaenvironment.com/
African American Environmentalist Association has facts specifically about Washington, DC and the different pollution by what ward you live in.

http://nheec.org
National Hispanic Environmental Council. Links to experiences for youth to get involved with their communities. Become a member for free.

http://tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/climate_home.html?gclid=CKO_2Z_ByooCFRuxgAodQ1rsdA
Quick facts on what is happening to the Earth.

http://www.air-watch.net/
Local air quality index.

http://nrdc.org/
Natural Resources Defense Council.

http://nrdc.org/globalWarming/default.asp
Natural Resources Defense Council Global Warming page.

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp
Stop Global Warming! Link to the producer of Inconvenient Truth.

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_learnmore.asp

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_classroom.asp

http://www.truths.treehugger.com/
Video contest to talk about global warming.

http://epa.gov/highschool/
Learn about how to get involved. Issues also discussed: Recycling, water, ecosystems, health, your neighborhood.

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/extreme.html
Climate Change cause and effect chart.

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/cliihis.html
Does climate impact human activity and culture? Does human activity and culture impact climate? Climate Timeline and other facts. Good for History and Science impact.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/indexarchive.html
EPA global warming site.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/ski/
Olympic Skiers talk about global warming at the Word Wildlife Foundation website.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/basic.cfm
Basic facts about Climate Change.

http://www.climatehotmap.org/
Map of the world showing where the local consequences of global warming are occurring.

http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm
Kids page with questions and answers about global warming.