Here is a cool article called, The Long and Warming Road from Mother Jones. This is a timeline of research into global warming. It’s sort of a mile stone by mile stone view.

Three things to pass along:

1. The Road to Sustainability from Physics World: A cool write up about the sustainable stuff.  Here’s a little intro quote:“Sustainability” is the hottest topic in energy research today, but what does it actually mean? George Crabtree and John Sarrao describe what makes a technology sustainable, and outline the materials-science challenges standing between us and clean, long-lasting energy
2. Newsweek’s Green Rankings 2009: This years marks the beginning of Newsweek’s “green” rankings where they rank 500 of the greenest companies.  Who do you think made #1?
3. Sum Total Being Green isn’t new:

(reposted from MNN Daily Brief, e-Newsletter, September 24, 2009) POLAR MELTDOWN: Ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica are melting faster than scientists previously thought, and some places are experiencing “a runaway effect,” according to a team of British scientists who analyzed laser readings taken by NASA satellites. Some Antarctic ice sheets have been losing 30 feet of thickness annually since 2003, and while many areas are up to a mile thick to begin with, the melting is speeding up - the rate of Antarctic thinning was 50 percent higher between 2003 and 2007 than it was from 1995 to 2003. The problem isn’t warmer air, but warmer water, which wears down the ice from the outside in. “To some extent it’s a runaway effect,” says the lead author of the study, which was published online today in the journal Nature. “The question is how far will it run?” (Sources: Associated Press, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle)

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An amendment proposed by Senator Murkowski (Alaska) is hitting the Senate floor in the next few days.  If it passes, the EPA will no long be able to regulate greenhouse gases.  You know, the ones that cause climate change.  Please call or write your Senators to vote against the Murkowski Amendment.  This link will bring you the the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of all of the US State Senators:   http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

As a scientist, I am very critical of where information comes from.  When I hear something in the news, I do some checking to see if what they are saying is indeed fact or if it is
propaganda from a corporation to benefit their own interests.  It is important for us to use our analytical abilities and question information in the world.  I appreciate when I hear info about climate change that comes from peer reviewed scientific data.  Here is an article about increased melting of the glaciers from a scientist.  Give it a listen:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112752241&sc=emaf

I wanted to share the video below. There is some very interesting thinking here.

The man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and ’70s has been rethinking his positions on cities, nuclear power, genetic modification and geo-engineering. This talk at the US State Department is a foretaste of his major new book, sure to provoke widespread debate.

It’s summer time, so we haven’t posted much to this blog.  Our on campus activites are sort of slow, as we are gearing up for the fall semester.  BUT, there are a couple of things to pass along.

1.  Report: Climate Change Already Affecting U.S.This is a Washington Post article about a recent government study that says that climate change is happening now, and it is already having negative affects on our ecnomy and lives.
2. The Elusive Green EconomyThis is an Atlantic article that compares our situation today to 1977.  In both cases, we come to a fork in the road where we can act to have a more stable energy future.  In 1977, we chose the dirty, coal-laden path.  Will we do the same today?

Just today, I received in the mail the most current issue of National Geographic. The front cover says “Saving Energy It Starts At Home”. The article starts out saying that we all could easily reduce our energy needs by 25%. I am ready to keep reading. Also, I was inspired by our new President’s hopeful words on energy issues. I may be naive, but I believe we are heading into some exciting times with a cleaner energy future on the horizon.

The library was happy to welcome Dr. Gregory Sierra, professor of accounting and former bank regulator at the Federal Reserve Board. Dr. Sierra spoke about the use of markets to regulate carbon emissions as part of the library’s One Book, One College program. You can listen to all of our library’s public events at our Library Event Podcast page. You can listen to Dr. Sierra’s lecture here:

• Listen now:
• Listen in iTunes
• Download MP3

Dr. Gregory Sierra discussing CO2 as a pollutant.

Students volunteered to create their own mini-carbon trading market.

Last year MVCC joined with cities and countries around the world to turn off for one hour. Now, on March 28th, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. Earth Hour is coming again. We ask that YOU join us!