LAST CHANCE: The fight to save a disappearing coast

This is the recently published excellent series of articles from the New Orleans Times-Picayune about the fight to save Louisiana's rapidly eroding coastline.

http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/

OUT OF BALANCE: ExxonMobil’s Impact on Climate Change

"Out of Balance: ExxonMobil’s Impact on Climate Change" shows the influence that the largest company in the world has on governments, the media and citizens and what can be done about global warming. While the Earth’s climate is pushed further out of balance by increasing use of fossil fuels, ExxonMobil continues to assert undue influence around the world— making record profits while ignoring climate science for which there has been overwhelming consensus for over ten years.

A useful next movie if you’ve seen Vice President Al Gore’s film, “Out of Balance” does not just critique ExxonMobil, it also offers challenging, large-scale ideas for the global social changes that must take place if there’s any chance of having a livable planet for future generations.

At a recent New Orleans Group program, The Sierra Club, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and film-maker Tom Jackson discussed the movie, recent news attention that ExxonMobil has received for announcing their acknowledgement of human caused climate change, and how we can work effectively to confront an issue that challenges the Gulf Coast as no other region. Tom is touring the country with his film in a biodiesel vehicle to facilitate dialogue and action on this critical issue.

http://www.worldoutofbalance.org/
http://joepublicfilms.com/

Australia to ban old-style bulbs

SYDNEY, Australia - The Australian government on Tuesday announced plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs and replace them with more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs across the country.

California is also considering doing the same thing. Can Louisiana be far behind? We can only hope.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070220/ap_on_hi_te/ban_the_bulb;_ylt=An4glEGQlLPjnm2xvXE6dztj24cA

You can't argue with the Truth

OK. I admit it. I bought and finally watched the DVD of the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" starring the former next President of the United States, Al Gore. Wow. What a powerful film this is. I wept when I saw the many clearly presented examples of how our reckless behavior is fouling our nest. You know the one I mean. The Earth.

That's right, WE ARE causing global warming. That's right, it IS our relentless spewing of all things carbon dioxide that is the primary culprit for the pickle we now find ourselves in.

Did you know that one of the most damning pieces of evidence presented in this film that proves, yes PROVES that Global Warming is real, and that WE are causing it are climate records extracted from ice cores from Antarctica? Neither did I.

These ice core climate records go back for over 650,000 years and they clearly show that there has NEVER been as much carbon dioxide in our atmosphere as there is today. I did not know that either. See this movie. It will open your eyes.

The evidence is so clearly presented here that even the Chimp-in-chief could understand the issue if he chose to see this movie. Of course, he never will see it, but you should see it. Buy it, rent it, borrow it, steal it (no not really) and see it already.

In the end, Al Gore rescued me from what could have been a generally depressing way to spend a Friday night by exuding a seemingly limitless supply of hope that we have the power, as well as the tools to change our potentially ghastly future. All we need now is the will to do so.

Thank you Al Gore. I love that guy.

Rene' Maggio
Delta Chapter Webmaster

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Free copies of The Inconvenient Truth for Teachers!

This opportunity just came up through participate.net and we wanted you to be some of the first to know about it.

There are currently 50,000 copies of Al Gore's movie about Climate Change, "An Inconvenient Truth" to give away to teachers in the United States. The first 50,000 teachers who apply are eligible to win. There is a limit of one DVD per teacher. All entries must be received by January 18, 2007. Please visit their website soon to get your copy!

www.participate.net/educators/

Good Luck!

Levana Saxon
Education Coordinator,
Grassroots Organizer
Rainforest Action Network

www.ran.org

Sierra Club Radio Launch

The Communications Team is pleased to announce the launch this Saturday, December 16th, of "Sierra Club Radio," a weekly half hour radio program that will be broadcast in the San Francisco Bay Area and available nationally on the Web and via podcast. Sierra Club Radio is designed to help us meet the mounting demand for "green" news -- information Americans can use as consumers, as citizens, as neighbors and parents to make responsible choices, to connect to the growing environmental community.

The program, produced by Sierra Club staff and hosted by Club publicist Orli Cotel, will feature Sierra Club content – including lifestyle tips from Sierra magazine's Green Life editor Jennifer Hattam and Mr. Green, Bob Schildgen; in-depth interviews with Sierra Club Books authors and contributors to Sierra magazine; and political observations and commentary by Executive Director Carl Pope. The program will also highlight stories from our conservation work, our grassroots fieldwork, and our partnership work -- especially our hunter/angler and faith outreach efforts. In addition, Sierra Club Radio will feature in-depth conversations with a wide range of environmental experts and activists, artists, and authors inspired by nature.

In terms of the broader communications context, Sierra Club Radio provides us the ability to tell our stories, highlight our issues, and share our expertise and advice directly, unfiltered by the media. And it provides one more communications channel for the Sierra Club to promote our programs, principles, and brand, and to reinforce the stories we are also telling in print, in video and on-line. Our ultimate goal in 2007 is to make this content available broadly to radio stations across America. In fact, the content consultant who helped us secure our twice-monthly programming on Air America is working with us pro bono to help us identify markets and programs that would be interested in airing segments from Sierra Club Radio.

Sierra Club radio is broadcast every Saturday at 3:30 pm on the Quake radio (960 am) in the Bay Area. The program will be available on the Web and via podcast the following Monday at www.sierraclubradio.com. Please check it out and let us know what you would like to hear on Sierra Club Radio. If you have story ideas, please send them to orli.cotel@sierraclub.org, and put “Sierra Club Radio story idea” in the subject line.

Here is the first show’s line up to give you an idea of the mix of
content we will be offering:

Jen Hattam on Green Holiday Tips
Chris Paine, filmmaker and director of Who Killed the Electric Car
Carl Pope on what to expect from the new Congress
Mark Heileson on the surprising public transit revolution in Utah
Ask Mr. Green
Sarah Alexander on spending 12 months on an entirely local foods diet