It is again, looking as if the Senate will introduce a Cap and Trade/Energy Bill. The new version will take a limited approach to Cap and Trade, by just focusing on power plants and their emissions.

Well - that sounds fine to me. As they say- why do you rob a bank....because that is where the money is.... Power plants account for a major portion of our CO2 emissions in total, and of course account for the vast majority of stationary emissions. So this seems like a smart way to begin. Focus on the electric industry, leave the auto sector alone for now, then revisit it in a few years....we will see.

So, as we head down this path I am wondering can the bill pick up the support of the vast, strong network of "green-moms". We have seen such an important movement of these women who help to get the "eco" word out in their communities about things like recycling, green fashion, greening your home and so on - our question is will these women, eco community leaders take this opportunity to stand up for cap and trade? Will they reach our to their members of congress and say - vote yes, will they march, or at least march through the power of their facebook accounts and motivate others to push this legislation across the finish line. If so, they would be doing their country and their children an invaluable service.

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.

Congratulations to Brandon McEachern this weeks Climate Community Citizen of The Week.  

Brandon is a wonderful, very energetic and positive young man who is the founder of a website/and a movement called Broccoli City.  Brandon saw a need in US urban communities for exposure to topics such as – “green”, “eco”, “organic”.  He believes (as we do) that people from all walks of life need and deserve information to make informed lifestyle choices.  This opening to educate and create involvement within our nations urban communities is a fantastic opportunity.  We met Brandon through our good friend Apple Levy of The Green Girls. (note Brandon on the left side of the picture with the great big smile!)

The following is a little background that Brandon has shared with us:

My name is Brandon McEachern I am from North Carolina. I moved to LA in 2005 after graduating from North Carolina Central University. I started “Broccoli City” in 2007 to educate my peers on living a healthier lifestyle, not just about going green but also to increase self esteem in our communities. The word *ORGANIC* to us means to be your true self! We started out with just tee-shirts made from organic cotton, with positive messages on them. Now we do events in LA, DC, and Atlanta. We have a daily blog filled with eco-tips,arts,technology and music. This year “Broccoli City” successfully had one of the biggest Earth Day Celebrations in the LA area with more than 2500 attendees. Myself and those who work with Broccoli City now focus in own bridging those gaps for other companies,  with “Think Broccoli” which is the advertising, and consulting side of “Broccoli City”. BC University which focuses on going to schools and speaking to the youth about what matters to them. BCTV which are mini episodes on our website where we have covered big events, and orginal content as well. I will contunie to make this positive movement grow. “Most people live on this Earth but Broccoli City lives in it.

Once again congratulations to Brandon and keep up the great work!!!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.

Congratulations to Alexis Chaves this week’s Climate Community Citizen of the Week.

We have come to know about Alexis through another one of our winners – Sarah Elizabeth Ippel. Alexis is a student at the Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago (Sarah Elizabeth is the schools founder).

Although we do not generally work with grade school students we believe that Alexis is quite unique in the amazing work she is doing, and we are very proud supporters of her school. The following is a short bit of background on Alexis:

Alexis Chaves: As a third grade student, Alexis is the Founder and President of the Endangered Species Club at the Academy for Global Citizenship. She and her team worked very hard and successfully raised $50 this year to protect a grey wolf. She would like to spend her $25 award on helping overfishing and protecting sharks and dolphins from fisherman. She is currently on a 5^th grade reading level in school.

Alexis shares, "When I grow up, I want to be a paleontologist because I love animals. I am an inquirer because I want to be more knowledgeable about how to help our planet. I like learning about Math because there are lots of numbers. I am a global citizen because I help the earth and want to protect our oceans. I help our planet by planting flowers. My favorite vegetable is broccoli because it tastes good."

 Congratulations again to Alexis, and all of the students at Academy for Global Citizenship – keep up the great work!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.

 

Congratulations to Emily Enderle this week’s Climate Community Citizen of the Week! 

We met Emily through our friend, and fellow Citizen of the Week – Apple Levy of  The Green Girls. Emily is a passionate young women who has devoted her career to helping the nation and the world be protected and educated about pollutants that can be so dangerous to our children and ourselves.

The following is a bit of background that Emily has provided us with:

Emily Enderle is the environmental health advocate in the Washington D.C. office of Earthjustice, the nation’s largest environmental non-profit law firm. Emily works to uphold and strengthen environmental statutes that protect people from dangerous pollutants, including arsenic, mercury and greenhouse gases.

Prior to working at Earthjustice, Emily was the Associate Director of Admissions and Admissions Diversity Coordinator at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies where she helped increase diversity and inclusivity at Yale. She is the author of the edited volume Diversity and the Future of the U.S. Environmental Movement that showcases the work of more than 15 environmental leaders.

Emily has worked with London’s municipal fuel poverty eradication program “Warm Zone,” the Bank Information Center in Delhi and as a corporate environmental consultant in the San Francisco office of Kearns & West.  She has lectured on environmental policy at Cornell, Yale, Mount Holyoke and other institutions.

Emily serves on the board of the Center for Diversity and the Environment and the environmental micro-philanthropic organization, In Our Backyards (ioby) .  She is a fellow at Ezra Stiles College at Yale College and an Environmental Leadership Program Senior Fellow.  Emily was selected as a 2010 Environmental Justice U.S./China Exchange Fellow funded by the U.S. Department of State. She holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University and graduated with high honors in environmental studies from Oberlin College.

Congratulations again to Emily – and keep up the great work!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.

Congratulations to Rachel Tamigniaux this weeks Climate Community Citizen of Week.

We have gotten to know Rachel over the past several months and have found her to be an excellent writer on environmental issues. Fortunately for us she has become one of our contributing authors – so please keep an eye out for her posts!



The following is a little further background on Rachel:

Rachel Tamigniaux is a contributing writer for the green living blog, The Chic Ecologist. She graduated from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, with a Masters of Science in Environmental Social Science. She completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2008. With experience working for both the EPA and the non-profit sector, Rachel enjoys learning and writing about the environmental and sustainability movement in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. Topics of interest include grassroots environmentalism, social research, environmental justice, community building, sustainability, green-living, eco-culture, eco-travel, green jobs and environmental literature.

Find her on Twitter as @rtamigniaux, LinkedIn and Facebook. If you have any ideas for green living articles or recommendations for job opportunities, you can contact her by email at Rachel@thechicecologist.com.
 

Congratulations again to Rachel and keep up the great work!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.