Supporting Fossil Fuel Companies Makes Not Sense! Here is You Chance to do Something!

A majority of Americans now believe that excess carbon in the air leads to climate change and the weather extremes we have been experiencing are going to get worse. Rather than continuing to support companies who enjoy enormous profits for contributing to climate change shouldn’t we support alternatives and try to reverse the ominous forecast?

Why are fossil fuel companies getting tax breaks, financial assistance, royalty relief, and many loopholes that benefit the fossil fuel industry? Under current law, more than $113 billion in federal subsidies would go to oil, coal and gas industries in the coming decade. Do they need this money? No! In 2011 alone, the Big Five oil companies, alone, made $137 billion in profits!

Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation Thursday to end billions of dollars in oil, coal and gas subsidies.

You can support this new legislation and end polluter welfare by making your voice heard here.

The COTS Walk Needs You

http://www.cotsonline.org/component/content/article/34-who/105-cotswalkregistration.html

Volunteers are needed too!

Extreme Weather Survival In “The New Normal”

Recently we had a week of weather with temperatures 40 degrees above normal!  A few weeks before, 75 tornadoes ripped through Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina and other states, with winds as high as 175 mph, completely wiping towns off the map, killing people and destroying billions of dollars of property. As hundred thousand people mourn and try to begin to put their lives back together, those of us a safe distance away wonder why no one is looking at the big picture and wondering who is going to pay for this?

FEMA – The Bottomless Barrel of Money

Last spring when Lake Champlain flooded over 200 year records, and last fall when Irene washed away villages in Bermont, FEMA the Federal Emergency Management Authority came to the rescue with human power and money to restore thousands of miles of roads and infrastructure. Now, once again, FEMA will be be counted on to rescue Americans who had the misfortune of living in the path of mother nature during a new era, the era of cataclysmic weather!

NASA and NOAA predict the frequency and intensity of freakish weather will not only increase over time but the rate of increase will climb as carbon dioxide and methane levels climb in the atmosphere. This means that we can expect more powerful storms and other extreme events more frequently, going forward, as they say! No worries, though, because FEMA has plenty of money to rebuild after each Katrina, Irene and tornado hit.

Survival of Extreme Weather Events

How can you be prepared for the next unexpected epic extreme event? FEMA suggests:

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries (better yet a hand-crank, solar charged flashlight!)
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

And don’t forget your portable Aero Press Coffee maker! It’s a necessity for quality coffee under any circumstances, whether camping or emergencies.

It is reassuring to know that FEMA will always be there for us, unless at some point in the future, our leaders decide that part of government is too big! But in the meantime, there is plenty you can do to ensure the survival of yourself and your family in coming extreme weather events. Be prepared!

Obamacare in One Minute

President obama spoke to a raging crowd at the University of Vermont on Friday. Among the topics, his health care law that has resulted in improvements for all Americans.  Here is all you need to know about Obamacare in one minute:

Out With Oil Company Giveaways, In With Clean Green Energy!

Today at the University of Vermont President Obama gave a one minute synopsis of his energy policy.  Who would argue with this except oil company executives?

 End Billions of Dollars in Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Ever wonder why the alternative energy companies  can’t get expensive ads telling us how clean coal and clean natural gas can solve our energy problems?  It starts with the oil lobby giving tens of billions of dollars to our politicians and then the politicians giving tens of billions of dollars of our tax money in subsidies at a time when fossil fuel companies are rolling in money! Think there is nothing we can do about it?

Here is Bill McKibben of Middlebury College and 350.0rg telling us we can do something about it. We aim to get every member of Congress on the record, and tell us where they stand on these unbalanced subsidies. Sign the petition and find out more at 350.org.

Free Products!

Happy March! In celebration of our early spring (fingers are crossed!) and in a shamelss effort to promote our products and spread good will we are giving away our products every week!

This week we are giving away two outstanding environmental videos. First we are giving away ‘After the Warming’  (episode 1 and 2) and the National Geographic Polar Bear Alert! Both videos are in VCR format and in good condition. Both are well-documented informative educational videos sourced by leading researchers and scientists.

How do you get your free videos? There is no obligation to buy anything or even pay postage! Of course we would like it if you got the word out, tweeted us, said a public thank you or bought our products. But all you need to do is this. Just send us an email telling us who will be using your videos!

Thank you, and while you are at it check out some of  our other products!

The Vermont Green Home & Living Show coming this weekend (Feb 17th-19th at the CV Expo in Essex) is one of my favorite places to check out the latest technologies and innovations in northern Vermont. The traditional log home and timber frame builders will be there there as usual.  Hopefully I will see another photographer Rick Libbey, aka “The Mooseman” who has an amazing collection of photography, inclduing moose (of course), wild bear and loons to name a few, all found in their native habitat.

Last year we enjoyed some local businesses including yours truly, the EHS Environmental Club, Sales Rep Jim Johnson with a Toyota Prius, Bob Clark and the crew from Efficiency Vermont and Ken Torino, the Pocket Socket inventor.

As always, the value in attending always surpasses my expectations because the ideas we get from each other outweigh whatever goods or services we sell.  A new friend, local engineer Ken Torino exhibited at the show and had one of the most exciting inventions I have seen in a long time, known as the Pocket Socket. The Pocket Socket is an ergonomic hand-held charger. You’ve got to see this. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of it in the future!

Video: solargroupies, youtube

Again, see you at the Vermont Green Home and Living Show Feb 17th-19th at the CV Expo in Essex!

Spectacular Views of Vermont

Crystal ice on trees this morning in Starksboro, Vermont in 5 degree temperatures.

As solstice approaches we realize that we are well aware that we are in a zone of darker, shorter days and longer, colder nights for the next few months. For many elders, talk of moving to the sun belt or at least towards lower latitudes becomes common. If nothing else it is comforting to conjure up fantasies and images of of places where the sun shines more than it is cloudy, where you don’t need a jacket to go outside now, and you don’t need to turn the lights on after four pm. But the real Vermonters, including my parents, who descended from generations of hearty Vermonters before them, stayed put. One of the things they realized was that Vermont IS a community that still has a working political system, has a healthy economy despite periodic fluctuations, and has natural beauty that is unheard of in most places. Above all else, the natural beauty is reason enough for me to second-guess ever leaving this place. Enjoy the Vermont pictures in our gallery. If you are interested in purchasing any photos you see, please send us an email. Prices are based on standard sizes in our Vermont Pictures Photography and Vermont scenery note cards.

Looking west from Charlotte Beach on Lake Champlain

Hills and meadows with Mount Mansfield in the background

Southwest view from Mount Philo in Charlotte, Vermont

Vermont fall foliage in Williston, Vermont

Photo By Glenn Fay, Jr.

Sunday I was on the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, Vermont, enjoying a leisurely afternoon, picking up some new winter clothes and getting a bite to eat. After checking out Frog Hollow‘s local photography and picking up a bow tie at Macy’s I cruised towards Eddie Bauer, right past him. I wouldn’t have noticed him except the street was empty and he was alone in the middle of the plaza. He was sitting in a wheel chair, holding a cardboard sign that read, “Anything Helps Thank You God Bless”. I noticed he looked cold and was missing a leg as he looked straight ahead down the street from his wheel chair.  I said hi and he nodded, but made no direct appeal to me as some street people do.

After walking by  something in his eyes made me stop, turn and go back and touch base with him. I rarely give panhandlers money, not that you see many in Burlington like you do in other places. I pulled out a buck and handed it to him. “Thank you very much,” he said to me. “what’s your name,” I asked. “Steve.” “And where do you live, Steve?” “On the street, anywhere I can, it was College Street last night.” I paused. This guy was the real deal. I had to know more about how he ended up like this. “And what did you do before you lived on the street?” I asked. “I was a sheetrocker for Chuck – Chuck’s Drywall. I got diabetes, lost my leg, and couldn’t work.” I nodded in understanding.

But it was so foreign to me. I have a friend who lost his leg to diabetes – an athlete, hard working guy so I could see how that could happen. Apparently this guy Steve, who doesn’t look any older than me had had a series of devastating experiences and voila, here he is living on the street, day to day. There is probably more to Steve’s story. Hopefully he is supported by the network of caring social workers in Burlington, Medicare or Medicaid, COTS , Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and others who are there to help keep people like Steve from slipping through the cracks. But he didn’t leave me convinced that he was taking advantage of those kinds of services.

At that moment I heard human voices, in unison, chanting slogans and a narrative, coming up Church Street. It was Burlington’s Occupy Vermont protesters, an eclectic band of folks, marching up the street, carrying signs, inviting others to join them, speaking out about the disparity in wealth and corruption in America. How ironic. The Occupy protests on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont have something in common with a common man, Steve. Steve could be a poster boy for Occupy. Hopefully his thanksgiving holiday will include a warm place with a dinner among friends.

I don’t believe it is Steve’s choice to live as he does. I think his lifestyle is beyond his locus of control at this point. Steve illustrates for me why we need to pay attention to others less fortunate than ourselves. As we approach the holiday season I hope we keep in mind that there has never been a time in US history when the gap between rich and poor has been so great. How can you help? Talk to the person you walk past on the street. Ask them if they are getting support from public services. If it moves you and you can spare a dollar, give some money to someone less fortunate than you. His or her gratitude will be well worth our investment in their peace of mind and future. Anything helps thank you.