Manifesto/Bio
Recent Comments
Re: “Pedal empowered”
Making our Rochester, NY streets safe and accommodating for active transportation (walking and bicycling) is one of the most robust actions we can take on addressing Climate Change in our region.
“Transportation sources emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. In 2010, transportation contributed approximately 27 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.” (EPA)
So, if we can get folks in vehicles to share the road with pedestrians and bicyclist and get pedestrians and bicyclists to follow the rules of the road, many more will see active transportation as a viable way to get around in our community and take signification action on Climate Change. Already, the City of Rochester has done much on bicycling as transportation: ROC the bike! http://www.cityofrochester.gov/rocthebike/
Re: “Taking stock of the changing climate”
Great that Rochester City Newspaper, a local media, do another report on Climate Change, including this time an interview with Dr. Wolfe, lead author on the Northeast section of draft National Climate Assessment. I wish more local media would inform the public better on Climate Change. The public can make comment on this version (comes out every four years) of the National Climate Assessment here http://ncadac.globalchange.gov/ until 5pm ET on April 12th, 2013. This is where you can join in the dialogue on how our government responds to Climate Change.
Re: “Great Lakes: progress and problems”
Excellent article on the challenges to the Great Lakes by the nutrient pollution problem by small waste treatment plants along the Genesee River and the newly discovered issue of micro-plastic bits in our waters. To get a more complete idea of what plastics in our Great Lakes might mean surf over to http://www.plasticoceanthebook.com/ and read the book about how these plastic bits have already affected our oceans.
These challenges to our Great Lakes, where we get most of our drinking and water, and the inadequate waste treatment rules for small waste treatment plants, should awaken the public to the further challenges to our waters by lifting the moratorium on Fracking (a drilling process that will require a lot of our fresh water and requests to use our waste water treatment plants) in New York State.
The idea that New York State would allow Fracking in a time of warming, where the newest studies show that there may be a 9% methane leak in the drilling process, and a time when new discoveries on the state of our water with plastics bits, the absolute last thing we should be doing in New York State is Fracking.
To find out more about the challenges to our Great Lakes waters be sure to attend the April 25th Rochester Sierra Club’s 15th Annual Environmental Forum: Protecting the Great Lakes Forever http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/
Re: “What about the bikes?”
Here is the document in question: http://esd.ny.gov/PublicMeetings_Notices/N…
Re: “Best of Rochester 2012: Media”
It is an outrage that the New York State Fracking issue has not been thoroughly investigated in our Rochester local media. Some might say that Fracking (slang for hydraulic fracturing) is so controversial that our local media is afraid to upset their subscribers and potential ad consumers. But what’s the point of being a news agency if you don’t investigate controversial issues? Some would say if you are ‘pro’ Fracking or ‘anti’ Fracking you cannot be objective on Fracking. I say that is the wrong heuristic because the focus of our attention should be on the health of our environment, not on the health of a particular industry. Our media needs to change their notion of ‘objectivity’ when it comes to environmental issues, especially as Climate Change becomes the lens from which we should view all environmental issues. We are supposed to be informed about important issues by our media, not blinded by them.
Re: “Climate's politics problem”
Good article and I wish this was not the last in a series on Climate Change, but a continual series, as Climate Change is becoming more of an issue, not less.
Also, regardless of who gets elected president, one of them will have to address the “THE NATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PLAN: 2012-2021” that was release in April by President Obama, “Administration Releases 10-Year Global Change Strategic Plan” |The Obama Administration today released a 10-year strategic plan for research related to global change, identifying priorities that will help state and local governments, businesses, and communities prepare for anticipated changes in the global environment, including climate change, in the decades ahead.” http://www.globalchange.gov/whats-new/689-…
Finally, It’s interesting to hear statements like "It really helps to frame it in different terms instead of vague climate change," because this kind of backdoor strategy for solving one of the greatest issues of our times seems to have caught the imagination of many. If anything, it’s convenient to believe that Climate Change, the warming of our entire atmosphere, can be solved if it accommodates our crazy economics and loony politics. But it doesn’t work that way. It’s the other way around.
In order to solve Climate Change (and this is what most do not want to hear) we are going to have to change our economics so that our environment is not simply a negative externality and our politics so that ideology gives way to reality. Baby steps, little changes here and little changes there, by individuals, business, and political leaders sounds nice, but baby steps will not turn back our atmosphere’s carbon dioxide concentration from its present 394ppm to what many experts believe should be at 350ppm. Find out more at 350.org.
Re: “Directory dilemma”
I encourage all to go around their neighborhoods, jot down the address of those places that still have phone books sitting on porches (after two months) and ask the phone company to come and pick those up.