[UPDATE: GreenPeace is opposing the bill in it's current form, as it has been "weakened" too much. See below.]

From the local Sierra Club:

Please call Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen today at (305) 668-2285 and ask her to vote FOR the energy and climate bill (American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454) ). The vote is Friday or Saturday so please call now.

I might also recommend writing a short Letter to the Editor supporting today’s Miami Herald editorial position to: heralded@herald.com (include your name, address and call back number for verification purposes.) Send it soon so it has a chance of getting in Friday’s paper.

GLEE is urging you to act similarly - but including more names of Reps throughout Florida:

This Friday, we have the opportunity to pass a bill to help create a clean energy economy, curb global warming pollution, and generate thousands of green jobs. This is America’s chance to turn the tide on carbon dioxide emissions and slow the sea level rise that will change all of our lives.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act places new limits on global warming pollution and a value to its elimination. It mandates that our country produce more electricity from renewable energies like wind and solar and commits to using energy more efficiently.

Your Congressperson’s vote is crucial to ensure a clean energy future - Speak up now!!

*In Florida, this is especially important if you live in the district of Reps. Boyd (D), Buchanan (R), Grayson (D), Kosmas (D), Putnam (R), Rooney, (R) and Ros-Lehtinen (R). In each case, these are either Democrats leaning toward a no vote or Republicans leaving the door open with a glimmer of hope for a yes vote. We need each of these votes!

Use this link to email Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Or call her local office directly at 305-668-2285

For other regions, use this link to find your House Representative contact.

Talking points: Unlike those in most other states, Florida has the potential to harness an endless supply of solar energy. I ask you to vote for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR2454) and improve it by:

1. putting more money towards clean energy;
2. protecting EPA’s authority to regulate emissions; and
3. making polluters pay for their carbon pollution.

Action now would provide business the certainty it needs to invest in low carbon technology, and give President Obama the soapbox he needs to lead global negotiations in Copenhagen in December.

Want a less official way to tell Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen your thoughts? @ her on Twitter! @IRL

From GreenPeace:

In advance of tomorrow’s vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act in the House of Representatives, Greenpeace USA Deputy Campaigns Director Carroll Muffett issued the following statement:

“Since the Waxman-Markey bill left the Energy and Commerce committee, yet another fleet of industry lobbysists has weakened the bill even more, and further widened the gap between what Waxman-Markey does and what science demands. As a result, Greenpeace opposes this bill in its current form. We are calling upon Congress to vote against this bill unless substantial measures are taken to strengthen it. Despite President Obama’s assurance that he would enact strong, science-based legislation, we are now watching him put his full support behind a bill that chooses politics over science, elevates industry interests over national interest, and shows the significant limitations of what this Congress believes is possible.

“As it comes to the floor, the Waxman-Markey bill sets emission reduction targets far lower than science demands, then undermines even those targets with massive offsets. The giveaways and preferences in the bill will actually spur a new generation of nuclear and coal-fired power plants to the detriment of real energy solutions. To support such a bill is to abandon the real leadership that is called for at this pivotal moment in history. We simply no longer have the time for legislation this weak.

“With many others in the environmental, faith and consumer rights communities, Greenpeace has expressed tremendous concern about the role of offsets in this legislation. Unless strictly controlled, the abuse of offsets could prevent real emission reductions for more than a decade. The decision to move authority over offsets from EPA to the Department of Agriculture further reduces the likelihood that such controls will be maintained and increases the likelihood they will undermine real reductions.

This legislation sends a strong and unmistakable signal to the world that the United States is not yet ready to show the leadership necessary to reach a strong agreement at Copenhagen in December. Already, we are seeing the impact of this signal as one country after another retreats from the aggressive targets needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

We call on the Congress to reject this bill and begin immediate and urgent work on legislation that treats seriously the dire threat of climate change. We call on President Obama to move beyond rhetoric and deliver on his commitments to “restore science to its proper place” and to lead the world in addressing climate change.

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Super Bowl in Miami. It was a wet one. Of course, I watched it in the comfort of my own home. However, we did go out looking for trouble and a sense of Super Bowl Weekend Madness the day before. We headed down to South Beach to see what was going on…and we brought our camera!

Welcome to the greenerMIAMI tour of pre-Super Bowl festivities. Surprise, surprise, there were some things we didn’t like. The good news? We have suggestions on how to make the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami even greener.

Attire: I went decked out in my organic tee from ReusableBags.com that says Plastic Bags Blow. If not that day, then when, right? Number of positive comments received = 1. Number of interesting looks = several.

Favorite Publicity: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the most eco-friendly advertising was from Flagler Dog Track. Animal-friendly, not really…but their marketing was carbon neutral!

Worst Publicity: So many planes! What a waste of fuel! Oh, and don’t even get me started on the fliers. Get rich quick idea - create an effective publicity company that doesn’t burn up tons of gas or require mass amounts of paper to be thrown on the ground.

Moment I Was About To Throw Down: When the girl working at the Motorola throw-a-football-through-the -hole-and-get-a-free-inflatable-vinyl-chair-place (we threw, but didn’t want or receive the chair) started putting trash from their stage onto the beach. I said, "You should throw it in the trash can." She said, "We don’t have a trash can, and I don’t want it on the stage." I said, "You should go find a trash can and throw it away." She said, "I didn’t put it there." Argh! Recommendation: Make sure all vendors have trash cans!

Worst Trash Moment: Several companies were giving out free drinks on Ocean Drive - bottles of water, energy drinks, etc. Now, I’m not going to say this shouldn’t happen, because at a mass event like this, it’s just not feasible for everyone to BYOBottle. Plus, free non-alcoholic drinks sounds like a public service. But come on - not enough trash cans and no recycling? If you allow these companies to set up on the street and hand out products, require them to have recycling bins and a plan to get them recycled!

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Our future is in their hands - and that makes me feel great. Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the kick-off for Dream in Green’s (DIG) Green Schools Challenge at MAST Academy. As Nicholas Gunia of DIG said at the end of the presentation, "it’s only fitting that the science magnet school for Miami-Dade County kick off this project." And what a great job they did.

The presentation was done entirely by students - The Power Rangers. Broken into teams such as the Energy Awareness Team, Energy Management Team, Public Relations Committee, and Research & Development, you can probably already tell that these guys are organized.

In fact, they’ve already measured the temperature of every room in the school (over a two week period), and the average temperature came up at 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 F). They’ve also identified leaks and cracks where A/C goes out and warm air comes in.

The students made a comment that a comfortable temperature is 25 C (77 F), and that it is ridiculous that everyone needs to come to school with sweaters and jackets in Florida. And it’s true! As seen in this picture, most of the students were bundled up!

Raising the temperature in the classrooms, recycling boxes in the classrooms, shutting off the lights in the cafeteria when not in use, and holding an Energy Awareness Week (including a wear green day) are some of the no-cost measures that the students plan to implement.

They are also seeking funding for their larger projects such as tree plantings, butterfly gardens, solar water heaters, window tinting, wind power, and desiccants - which was a brand new word to me.

These kids, led by Principal Tom Fisher and Solar Energy Professor Dr. Wafa Khalil, are on the right track and should be an inspiration to us all. If you’d like to make a donation towards their efforts, contact Co-Founder & Executive Director of Dream in Green, Nicholas Gunia.

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Last night I attended the Re-Energize America event sponsored by many, but mainly it is the doing of NRDC. The turnout was disappointing, with around just 50 people in attendance - but the information was good.

The speakers were a well rounded mix, from former Governor and Senator Bob Graham to Reverend Brenda Girton-Mitchell, various angles of the issue were covered. New tidbits I learned from the meeting:

Mayor Manny Diaz told us of his Miami Green Commission, which is explained below in a Herald article from July. I could not find any other mention of it on the City or County websites.

Defining the city’s problem as ”lots of concrete but not enough trees,” Diaz on Thursday announced the formation of a new Miami Green Commission, a citizens’ panel chaired by City Commissioner Joe Sanchez that will explore ways to expand and protect the natural canopy, encourage green building, retrofit city buildings with green features and identify other initiatives. Diaz also set a 2012 goal to incorporate 1,000 hybrid vehicles into the city’s fleet.

Adrianna Quintero-Somaini of NRDC’s Latino Initiatives told us of the launching of a new Spanish language eco-site: La Onda Verde.

Jim Fenton of the Florida Solar Energy Center up in Coco told us that Florida is #5 in the country for energy consumed per capita, and #3 in total energy consumption. These are not stats in which you want to be #1.

Reverend Brenda Girton-Mitchell was representing the National Council of Churches. They have created materials for individual churches to use to tie the eco-message with the message of the church.

Finally, Senator Bob Graham talked of his new Graham Centers for Public Policy to be located at both UM and UF. They are in a response to a "virtual collapse of civic participation in Florida." Additionally, he gave us a riddle: What do Bangladesh and Florida have in common? They are the regions of the world that will be most affected by a rising sea level. Self-interest should take over, he says, if nothing else.

For more information and a more complete summary of events, visit David Adam’s great synopsis at his blog, The Fueling Station. The Herald also wrote up a little piece. Update: Additionally, Adrianna Quintero wrote a blog entry on the event in the NRDC’s Drive Beyond Oil.

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How green is Miami? I would argue that it is greener than yesterday and greening more everyday. I haven’t even been able to post regular content lately, as I have been promoting green events left and right. I can guarantee that the desire to be green is alive and well in this southern city. Is action following? I believe if it is not already, it soon will.

Rick gave me a tip of the "Daring to be Green?" article in today’s Herald. (When there are green articles, please let me know…I do not follow the paper as I should.) The gist of the article is summed up by this single line, "Now, the trend of environment-friendly building may, just may, finally be
reaching South Florida — where not a single building has been certified green
to date."

Yes, it has taken a long time for the green movement to travel to the end of I-95 to reach our great city, but it has arrived. I attended the Simple Solar Solutions workshop last week. It was a full house of around 200 people, with at least another 100 watching the live webcast from the MDC Kendall campus. I learned probably more than I ever wanted to know about solar panels, including the fact that they don’t like to be hot. What? I know. I also learned that there has been a solar panel company located near downtown Miami for 20 years, Sun Electronics. Additionally, I learned about all of the rebates currently being offered for solar systems in residential and commercial use…and they are pretty good. I will post my complete notes in a couple of days.

In the meantime, it’s time to promote another event that is happening this afternoon/evening. This is going to be a good one: Re-Energize America Town Hall Meeting.

Miami Town Hall to Address Oil Dependence and Global Warming

Speakers Will Highlight Solutions to Energy Crisis

With volatile energy prices and concern about rapidly accelerating global warming, Floridians are asking hard questions about our energy future.

On Monday, October 16, Mayor Manny Diaz, Senator Bob Graham and representatives from the faith, policy and environmental communities will come together for a town hall meeting to highlight solutions for America’s oil addiction and global warming.

The participants come from diverse backgrounds and demonstrate the growing support for Re-Energize America, a nonpartisan campaign with a goal to create a new energy future for America.

It’s at UM’s Storer Auditorium. I’ll be there. If you would like to meet, send me an email and I’ll give you my cell number.

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Bienvenidos a Miami, where we are proud to host the 47th weekly edition of the Carnival of the Green, brainchild of City Hippy and Triple Pundit. This Carnival travels virtually, so there is no need to worry about carbon emissions. Last week it stopped over at Ecostreet and next week it will travel north once again to EnviroPundit.

Miami itself has a growing blogging community. We recently conducted Miami Cross-Blogination, a day of switcheroo in the local blogosphere. While you’re here, take a moment to visit some of our local blogs! Today, as you read the Carnival, we’ll take you on a tour of the sights. Enjoy!

First stop on our tour, the place that everyone associates with Miami. South Beach. And one thing that SoBe has a lot of? Sushi restaurants. This week, Ecostreet brings us a story on sustainable sushi: A look at how a chain of UK sushi restaurants are helping to save the bluefin tuna.

Next we’ll head over to the newest up and coming neighborhood in Miami - The Design District. This is the hot spot that is getting filled with galleries and small, hip businesses. green | rising discusses for-profit social ventures, using Google’s recent move as a positive, for-profit example of social entrepreneurship. (Flickr, mle626)

From here we’ll go to downtown Miami, where most government offices are located, along with several museums and typical downtown shops. We’re here because we need to stop by the courthouse. Sludgie reports on a judge’s recent decision to reinstate a Clinton-era ban on road construction, logging, mining and development in roadless national forest areas.

Now we’ll drive down to Brickell Avenue and cross over the bridge to Key Biscayne. This is the hot spot for local cyclists, and I thought our next blogger might want to stop for a cortadito (cuban coffee) with some of the others. Preston of Jetson Green wants everyone to know this is the last week before he rides in the Livestrong Challenge in Austin. He is offering 1-month of advertising on Jetson Green to those who make a donation to the Lance Armstrong Challenge through Preston’s fundraising page.

Staying on Key Biscayne, Preston might want to stop by the Crandon Park Tennis Center, home of the Nasdaq 100. In the next post, he takes us on a tour of a sustainable residence + spa + tennis court designed by architect Robert Rhodes. (Flickr, sauronlivez)

Since we’re right by Biscayne Bay, we should take a minute to enjoy the bay and ocean views. Alexandra Cousteau of Earth Echo tells us how carbon emissions affect the pH balance of the oceans and how to offset them.

Next we’ll travel down south a bit to Homestead, Florida and the Redlands. This is the agricultural section of Miami, and has a growing agro-tourism market. Speaking of agriculture, Judy Kingsbury of Savvy Vegetarian looks into issues with genetically engineered rice. She asks, "Are we just a bunch of fat, complacent, ignorant guinea pigs, happy to be deceived and manipulated as long as we’re comfortable in our cages?" (Flickr, dreamless studio)

Since we’re down this way, we should stop by the world famous Everglades…the River of Grass. One thing the Everglades has is a lot of is wildlife! Biologist Sally Kneidel of Veggie Revolution lists ten powerful ways to help wildlife, both locally and globally. (Flickr, Genista)

greenerMIAMI actually wrote about the Everglades Skyway this week, with the help of Sierra Club’s Kristina Trotta. The Skyway is a project hoping to raise 11 miles of a highway that cuts across Florida to bring back some of the natural flow of water to the Everglades. (Flickr, krashe1313)

Now we’ll go watch a ball game with the Florida Marlins. Okay, well, maybe not now…but I’m not the only one with baseball on the brain. Jenni Lukac of Triple Pundit discusses the ethical supply chain from Europe to the US, including the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Flickr, Fraggle Red)

Speaking of sports, anyone heard of Dwayne Wade? He made headlines this year as he led the Miami Heat to the National title. He lives in Pinecrest, one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Miami. They even temporarily named it "Wadecrest". Affluent = big houses = lawns. You see where I’m going here. Phil for Humanity gives us some how-to tips on recycling yard waste. (Flickr, your pal Matt)

For these last couple of posts, we’re going to finish up our tour with a road trip. First, we’re going to go up north to Brevard County, just about a 3 hour drive. Here, we’re going to stop in on our friends Brevard Biodiesel. They are a group of local residents that educate the public on biodiesel, as well as order bulk shipments of the fuel (which is not available for retail in the state). We figured that the author of our next post might be interested in meeting them. Thoughts from Kansas takes a really interesting look at energy policy, with some politics and E85 mixed in. (Flickr, hodad66)

Finally, traveling just a few more minutes north, we arrive at Cape Canaveral, home of NASA. Greener Magazine gives us the skinny on the European Space Agency’s plans to conduct a weightless surgical procedure. I wonder if they are planning to purchase carbon credits to offset all of that fuel? (Flickr, dcorking)

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the 47th edition of Carnival of the Green. I’d also like to thank all of the photographers of the photos highlighted in this post. All were taken locally and are credited individually by their Flickr owner. Those without credits are my own. We’ll see you next week over at EnviroPundit!

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The results of our latest poll is in. In the question, How many compact fluorescent light bulbs are you using in your home?, almost everyone is using at least one. It seems I may be preaching to the choir here.

As I’ve mentioned before, using CFLs in your home instead of regular light bulbs, is probably the #1 easiest thing you can do to reduce your energy usage.

I’d love to hear your comments on these bulbs, your experience, and if you use them in your home.

Two green blogs, City Hippy and Jen’s Green Journal, are sponsoring a related campaign for the holiday season. It is called Christmas Lights, though I am p/c inclined to change it to Holiday Lights.

Here’s how it works. These bloggers want to encourage everyone to make the switch over to CFLs. In order to do so, they are asking people to pledge that they will give a CFL bulb to every person they give a gift to this holiday season. This could be in addition to a regular gift, or you could make it the gift itself!

See more details over at City Hippy and Jen’s Green Journal.

What do you think of this campaign? Will you pledge to buy CFLs for family and friends this holiday season? I did!

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Environmental Defense is asking you to pledge to swap out regular light bulbs with super-energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

"Replace one 100-watt bulb with a just-as-bright 30-watt compact fluorescent, and cut more than 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution over the life of the bulb. Swap out two bulbs to lower your household emissions by more than a ton!"

Sign the petition.

Take our poll: How many CFLs do you use in your home currently?

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The totals are in. The question: How many KWH (kilowatt hours) a day do you spend in your home? Survey says you probably spend a lot of money on your electric bill…probably over $100/month. (See original post.)

Soon, we’ll start providing more tools on how to save energy inside your home.

To get started, take our new poll: How many CFL light bulbs do you have in your home?

To learn more about CFL bulbs and their benefits, see our post on the easiest way to reduce your energy usage. 

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The number one easiest way to reduce the energy usage in your home (or office, for that matter) is to change your light bulbs. Instead of the typically 60W and 100W bulbs, use compact fluorescent bulbs and consume just 1/3 of the energy.

Does it really make that much of a difference in the energy?

Yes. A 100W bulb pulls, well, 100 watts an hour. A compact fluorescent bulb that gives off the same energy as a 100W bulb, only uses 26 watts an hour. (Actually, my Kill-A-Watt is measuring it at just 22W.)

But does it look all gross and fluorescenty?

No. My husband can’t tell the difference at all. I’m very picky and can barely tell.

I heard that they are bad for the environment because of the mercury.

They contain less mercury than a watch battery. They are great because they use less energy. Make the switch.

Where are the best places to use the bulbs?

a) Hard to reach places - they last 5 to 10 times longer than regular bulbs…so that means you’ll almost never have to change them.

b) On lights that you leave on for a long period of time. That’s because these bulbs will make a bigger impact there. Also, they take a minute to warm up, so they won’t be as useful in a location where you need light for just a second (ie: a closet).

What are some other benefits of the bulbs?

You want more? Fine! I’ll give you more! They are cool to the touch. This means if you are working/sitting near them, you won’t get hot or heat up your room. An extra plus in the Sunshine State.

Anything else I should know?

You do need to dispose of these properly. Bring them to a hazardous waste disposal location when they burn out a long, long time from now.

GE Lighting FAQs

Have you taken our energy poll yet? Take it!

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