| What have we done? While I do not live in the area | | | | resident on the Minnesota/Canada border uses |
| affected by the Gulf Spill, I am depressed, full of | | | | geothermal to heat his home. It works even on the |
| rage and deeply frightened. What future are we | | | | coldest days. A young farmer family lives off the grid |
| leaving our children? | | | | and totally sustainable. Vibrant Amish communities |
| I am so tired of the political bickering. It is time to | | | | enjoy a simpler, more certain and morally responsible |
| stop the finger pointing and start taking responsibility. | | | | life. |
| We need to end our reliance on oil, coal and nuclear | | | | Maybe the transition to a post carbon future can be |
| energy. Yet no politician seems to be talking this way. | | | | fun and easy! This does not eliminate hard work. My |
| The politicians are stuck in a system of | | | | hands are blistered from digging up a community |
| special-interest money, gotcha politics and biased | | | | garden on land owned by a local church. As individuals |
| media. | | | | we need to become hyper-aware of where we are |
| If people do not begin to act we will have only more | | | | getting our food. Factory farming is wrong. |
| of the same from our leaders. Tea partiers - your | | | | Politically, I've joined the Citizen Climate lobby, which |
| "drill baby drill" cue card came from the oil industry. | | | | advocates a direct, steadily increasing fee on CO2 |
| But the greedy forces who owned the media, control | | | | with all the revenue returned to every household. Dr. |
| our food supply, dominate the banking sector and | | | | James Hansen calls it the "People's Climate |
| drive America's politicians awoke a sleeping giant in | | | | Stewardship Act." The fee would start at $15 per |
| genuine tea partiers. At America's core is a | | | | ton of CO2 and increase $10-15 a year. Within a |
| self-reliant, can-do spirit to make things better for | | | | decade, green energy would be competitive with coal |
| the next generation. | | | | and oil. At that point, the fee would produce a |
| Why do we need to end our reliance oil, coal and | | | | "carbon dividend" of $1,500 for each person and |
| nuclear? Climate change is real. The fact that there is | | | | shield households from the impact of rising energy |
| so much confusion on climate change is a sad | | | | costs. During a committee hearing last year, Sen. Bob |
| commentary on the way we currently share | | | | Corker (R-TN) said, "I wish we would just talk about |
| information. The clear scientific consensus that the | | | | a carbon tax, 100 percent of which would be |
| Earth is warming and humans are the primary cause. | | | | returned to the American people. So there's no net |
| Nuclear energy is seen by some as a savior because | | | | dollars that would come out of the American people's |
| nuclear energy does not add to climate change. But | | | | pockets." |
| the lesson glaring to be learned from the gulf oil spill is | | | | There are answers we can agree upon. As we bear |
| humility. There is no such thing as a fail safe. It is | | | | witness to the destruction in the gulf, we need the |
| morally wrong to use nuclear energy when it has | | | | courage to face our pain. Instead of anger, choose |
| hazardous waste lasts for tens of thousands of | | | | action. Grow your own food and buy it from people |
| years. | | | | you know. Conserve energy. Support the People' |
| How do we end our reliance on oil, coal and nuclear? | | | | Climate Stewardship Act. |
| A few oddballs have been lighting the way. A | | | | |