Apocalyptic Weather: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!

Unless you have been avoiding the news and life in general, the epic weather conditions are starting to get noticed. The record floods, heat, snows, tornadoes, fires, and more importantly, their after-effects are waking up even die-hard climate change deniers.  Although extreme weather and unpredictable systemic impacts have been predicted by NASA and NOAA climate models, the mainstream media is actually paying attention and getting nervous. Not only is extreme weather dangerous, unpredictable and enough to spoil your party, destroy your home and way of life, it is conceivable that it will change our lives sooner rather than later.

As weather becomes more unpredictable,  and extremes happen more often, we will all be looking for ways to survive and thrive in spite of it. This will test the abilities of our elected leaders and it will test our character as a society. US military leaders have been engaged in strategic planning for for some time and it is important that ordinary people plan for the impact of climate change as well. Our governments cannot protect us from Mother Nature! What are some of the impacts and what should we be doing to be safe and live well?

Unpredictable Weather will result in:

Flooding. Large quantities of moisture rising off warmer than usual oceans are creating bigger, wetter weather systems resulting in flash floods, enormous snow packs and floods several feet above flood stages in some places. If we have a wet summer in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, for example, many homes and camps and parks now under water will stay uninhabitable, possibly for some time. Aside from the social consequences and health issues of thousands of septic systems overflowing into the lake, which supplies the water to hundreds of thousands of people in the valley, the monetary damages are already exponential.

Tornadoes. We are seeing tornadoes in places that have never experienced them before like Vermont and Massachusetts. The high school where I work with 1400 students and a couple of hundred adults has an underground fallout shelter with a capacity of 100. Severe weather bulletins happen at a moments notice. Building shelters in public buildings for tornado events will be very costly.

Crops. This spring many farm fields were washed out repeatedly, after spreading fertilizer, after seeding, and after growing had begun. Climate models show that the wheat belt will migrate into Canada as the climate warms. What does this mean for a state and a nation that is used to being a bread basket and agriculturally-based? Food producers will become wealthy and poorer countries without basic commodities will become hungry.

Melting ice packs. Melting polar and continental ice is draining freshwater supplies in places where there are large populations. Californians and Arizonans to mention two states, know this already. In countries with billions of thirsty people, with little or no water, or with water being owned by private companies or used for industry, it is logical that we will see social unrest and political instability. This will become expensive.

I am not predicting an apocalypse but it is possible that there will be some panic, some finger-pointing and some disruptions unlike anything we have ever seen. It is possible we will see the federal government having to prioritize what it can afford to support in the FEMA budget as disasters become even more commonplace. It is possible that food and energy will become much more expensive and continue to erode your standard of living. Although this is not a popular view, the lions share of energy use and carbon pollution comes from business and industry. Scientists say the climate models show that the difference between doing nothing about carbon emissions and curtailing them will result in avoiding cataclysmic climate impacts during the next 20-40 years. So what can you do so you will be prepared for these possibilities or worse, if it happens?

For Your Health and Survival

1. Be prepared for disastrous weather that is sure to come. This means find a place to live far above your local flood plain. Make sure you have an emergency shelter.

2. Learn to grow your own food, preferably without fertilizers and pesticides which may become expensive, as they are made from crude oil.

3. Get a good water filter or a still. You need clean water every day.

Lifestyle Changes That Will Minimize Climate Change Impacts

1. Carpool whenever you can. It will save money and improve your social life!

2. Become politically active and lobby your congressional reps and senators to curtail carbon emissions immediately. Since business and industry contribute the most to climate change, even widespread personal activism will not equal the efforts of modest commercial changes.

3. Support local farmers and community sustainable agriculture. Food that is grown locally and without carbon-based chemicals lowers our carbon footprint.

4. Use energy wisely. Energy costs are predicted to skyrocket in the coming years. Most of our energy comes from coal and other fossil fuels that put a lot of carbon into the air. Unplug.

5. Recycle, reuse, repurpose. When we reuse and recycle our stuff, whether it is cars, clothing, or toys, it costs less energy and less money.

6. Minimize your lifestyle.

7. Actively work towards solutions. One highly regarded organization that is approaching climate change and other significant problems is Solutions. Solutions is a nonprofit print and online publication devoted to showcasing bold and innovative ideas for solving the world’s integrated ecological, social, and economic problems.  Chek them out and join the team!

In your own home, you can save money and energy, up to thousands a year. Get our ebook here: How to Save Thousands of Dollars on Energy in Your Home.

The Next Hurricane Will Be Easier to Deal With

When Tropical Storm Irene hit a few weeks ago my family was lucky to be on high ground. But when the power went out for a couple of hours I knew that I would have instant light. I grabbed my Energizer Crank Solar Flashlight off the window sill and was in business.

The Energizer Solar Crank Flashlight is my life saver because it never runs out of juice like most flashlights. And  it is well-made and does what it is supposed to do- really well. Flashlights are notorious for not working when you need them. The Energizer Solar Crank Flashlight will be there when you need it!  It charges quickly just sitting on your window sill in the sun, or you can pull it out of a drawer and wind it for a few second for instant bright light.  And oh yeah, you can drop it like I did and it might not break!

I described my Energizer flashlight in a ‘show and tell’ to my engineering class. Small, light, powerfully bright with three LEDs. Charges on a window sill while you forget about it. Durable and ready to light your way. “How much do you think it costs?” I asked them. “Twenty five or thrity bucks?” came one answer. “Fifty dollars” was another. When I told them they could buy it for under $15.00 they didn’t believe me at first. “Why don’t people buy the?” I asked. The consensus was people don’t own them because people don’t know about them

Now YOU know about the Energizer Solar Crank Flashlight and you can buy it here at the best price anywhere. I am so sure that you will want to keep it that if you are not completely 100% satisfied with your Energizer Solar Crank Flashlight after 10 days, you can return it for a full refund.

Check out the quickie video below, then go the Energizer Solar Flashlight page and buy some for the whole family and be ready for the next time the lights go out!

Glenn Fay Photography 12 Photos Showing Now Through Mid-October

Glenn Fay, Jr. has been snapping photos since childhood, first with a black and white Kodak film camera, then with a Polaroid Swinger camera he won in a barber shop drawing. He learned to use an Olympus OM-1 in the 1970s. In 2002 Glenn graduated to digital with a Canon 545 then stepped up to a Canon Powershot a couple of years later. Most recently he has been exploring the magic of a Nikon D300. Glenn is fascinated with capturing the wonder of light with water,  Earth, sky and life. Most recently he has become intrigued with wildlife and the human form. Glenn is available for freelance work in the Vermont area.

These framed 16 X 20 gallery prints can be purchased for $99 directly through Glenn. Five-pack note card sets can be purchased for $ 12.99. Contact Glenn: Glenn@LoveEarthAlways.com or call (888) 225-0429.

All proceeds from sales through November 1st will benefit the VT Irene Flood Relief Fund: http://www.vtirenefund.org/

You can find more of Glenn’s photography here: Vermont Pictures Photography

Epic Spring Flooding Destroyed Habitat and Miles of Recreation Areas

If you value getting outside and running, biking, walking, fishing and bird watching you know the value of the Island Line Recreation path that connects Colchester with South Hero, Vermont. Unfortunately the highest lake water since they began keeping records in 1827 wiped out much of the 100 year old rail bed, that was used for wildlife habitat and human recreation. If you haven’t seen the devastation up close check it out right now in this one minute slide show.Then make a plan to help LocalMotion.org the folks who are trying to raise volunteers and money to make the path useable again. Thank you!

Postcards From a Concert

The Bay

The Band

The Candy Man

Mr Smooth

The Gate

The Stage

This Weekend: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals! 

The Link Between Climate Change and Extreme Weather

Recently we have written at length about 30 years of climate models from NOAA and NASA that predict extreme weather as a consequence of climate change. All over the world people are starting to notice that our normal weather is starting to look not that normal, even when considering the natural fluctuations that happen over time. Check out this new video that depicts some of what has been happening recently. What do you think?

If you live in Vermont you are well aware to the monumental flooding in Lake Champlain, April and May wettest months-on-record, flash-flooding due to freak storms, fish die-offs, and millions of dollars in property damage. This is on top of the hottest summer on record, record snowfalls, droughts in the UK and Australia, melting polar ice through the winter and 25 feet of snow in Yellowstone Park right now on Memorial Day weekend! You might not realize that this is just the beginning of what the experts say we can expect in the years to come.

If you are like me you want your information from the people who know the most about their subject. NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been predicting that climate change will alter the weather for the past 30 years.

Here are the main points  that they make on their NOAA and NASA web sites:

1. Global temperature has increased over the past 50 years, primarily due to human behaviors that release heat-trapping gases, like carbon dioxide.

2. As the global climate warms, the weather in your area is expected to be more extreme, including oppressive heat, freakish winter weather, record-breaking storms, precipitation, drought, rising sea levels, floods and other environmental disasters.

3. Ocean acidification kills many species of plants and animals leading to imbalances in the ocean ecosystems.

4. Ocean warming which leads to more and greater storms over land areas.

5. Release of enormous methane deposits under the ocean floor and permafrost into the air. Methane is up to 40 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

6. Faster-than-predicted polar and glacier ice melting will lead to accelerated global heating since ice reflects and absorbs more heat than water.

According to NOAA: “Changes are happening in the United States, and elsewhere, but the impacts vary from region to region. These changes are affecting sectors of our society that cross regional boundaries. Already impacted are things that we depend upon; water, energy, transportation, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health. Agriculture is considered adaptable to changes in climate. However, changes, like increased temperatures, water stress, diseases, and weather extremes will create new challenges for food producers, upon which our society depends. Human health is likely to be affected by climate change. A changing environment will likely cause more heat stress, an increase in waterborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents. Higher sea levels and storm surges will cause U.S. coastal areas to be at a greater risk of erosion and flooding.”

Let me finish by saying this is not my data, but the data of climate scientists who have no bias or interest in promoting climate change. Second, no one wants climate change to happen. It will lead to shortages of food, water, energy, and all kinds of human hardship we cannot even imagine. But climate change is upon us and it is here to stay. I say it is time we act to do everything we can to slow it down. What can you do?

The fact is that we are addicted to oil, from the fertilizers on our food to the pharmaceuticals we eat, everything comes from fossil fuels. Every time we burn fossil fuels, or anything that was once living, we produce the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and water. But research shows that even though we may act responsibly to live greener, the impact of residential and individual change agents is puny compared to the enormous impact of industry. To really have an impact on our car bon footprint it will take bold action to change output from industrial polluters. So far, the US House of Representatives and Senate have not had the will to stand up to heavy-duty polluter lobbies and enact climate legislation that has any measurable impact.