As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a new global climate agreement, 350.org is hosting candlelight vigils around the world, with several such vigils taking place in Virginia.

Folks in Southside Hampton Roads will gather starting at 6:30 on Friday, December 11 at the Unitarian Church of Norfolk, 739 Yarmouth Street on the Hague. Speakers include ODU Professor and scholar David Burdige, Department of Ocean Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. For more information, contact Rev. Phyllis L. Hubbell, 410-916-1793, phubbell@uuma.org.

Click here to RSVP. Other Vigils for Survival include Newport News, Williamsburg, and Blacksburg.

The James City County Citizens’ Coalition (J4C) is sponsoring a forum entitled “Sea Level Rise: What it means to the Historic Triangle” on Tues., Dec. 1, 4-6pm at Building C, Government Complex, 101 Mounts Bay Road in Williamsburg. The speakers include the following:

Global Warming & Sea Level Rise, Dr. Terence Elkins, J4C

Coming soon - A Storm Tide Operational Forecast System at Jamestown, Dr. John Brubaker, VIMS

Climate Change in Coastal Virginia, Skip Stiles, Wetlands Watch

Government Policy Recommendations, Mark Callazzo, Old Dominion University

Question/Answer Session, Moderator: Terence Elkins

The forum is free and open to the public. Contact Terry Elkins at tjelkins@cox.net or Sarah Kadec at skadec@verizon.net for additional information.

While they had signed onto ICLEI several years ago, the City of Norfolk finally made their commitment to curbing carbon emissions official, pledging as a three-some tag team along with Tacoma, Washington and Kitakyushu, Japan.

The Joint Declaration reads as follows:

“In 1959, when our Cities entered into sister-city partnerships, most industrial nations - including the U.S. and Japan - were experiencing rapid economic development that brought great prosperity to both nations. At the same time, it also brought a new problem: environmental pollution. This era was also a time of overcoming this new situation.

50 years have passed since then and we now face a new problem, climate change, which affects everyone and in turn, everyone helps to cause. To overcome this problem, we need to change our culture/values and make continued efforts over a long period of time.

In response to this problem, our Cities will cross national barriers to work together to create low-carbon societies while observing the following points in order to appeal our efforts to the rest of the world.

- Each City will carry out activities adapted to their region and achieve a role leading their region toward the realization of a low-carbon society.
- On top of the cultural exchange we have accomplished thus far, we will further deepen our partnership through the exchange of information and opinions regarding climate change.
- The three Cities will work together to transmit information globally regarding each City’s efforts toward the realization of a low-carbon society.”

(Photo above found here within VML’s Town & City magazine.)

WHEN: Thursday, September 24th 6:45-7:45 PM
WHERE: Kempsville Recreation Center, 800 Monmouth Lane, Virginia Beach

WHY: Join us and bring a friend for our community-wide Kickoff Meeting where we will outline our strategy for getting a strong clean energy jobs bill passed in the Senate this fall!

Together we can:
Create 5 million green jobs
Freeze Climate Pollution
Repower America

Contact: Katharine Perry, katharine@greencorps.org, Office: 757-337-6806, Cell: 862-452-6126, www.1sky.org

A 14th forged letter from lobbying firm Bonner & Associates was released as part of House Chairman Markey’s (D-MA) investigation in the scandal today. This letter, purporting to be from a local American Legion chapter in Virginia, echoed the same anti-clean energy language found in previous letters forged from groups like the NAACP, a local Hispanic group and Senior Centers and sent to several members of the House of Representatives. Bonner & Associates, who has admitted that a since-fired temporary employee was responsible for the letters, was at the time working on behalf of a contractor hired by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).

Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director:
“Despite the coal industry’s ACCCE and Bonner & Associates denouncing these actions and firmly placing blame elsewhere, this newly surfaced letter again reminds us of how dirty politics can get when aimed at defeating clean energy legislation that would benefit all Americans.

“Big Oil and Coal continue to spend millions of dollars opposing any legislation that would bring the U.S. into a clean energy future, create jobs and fight global warming. From lobbyists forging letters to the US Chamber of Commerce calling for a mock trial of science–this lowest of discourse, the misrepresentation of facts, of communities, and of America’s heroes must end.

“In fact, veterans stood up today on Capitol Hill, at the White House and on the airwaves speaking in favor of clean energy as a way to make America more secure.

“Last week the AAUW, National Wildlife Federation, NAACP, Center for American Progress Action Fund and Sierra Club joined forces to help average citizens blow the whistle on deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal tactics being perpetrated by big polluters and their lobbyists to strike down clean energy innovation. The tip line (866-363-4648) launched last Thursday.

“Yesterday, just a week after the nation’s third largest utility, Duke Energy announced it was of the terminating its membership in the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, French giant Alstom power today followed suit. The company, which makes pollution control technologies for coal plants, cited “questions that have been raised about ACCCE’s support for climate legislation” as the reason for leaving.

“And today the Sierra Club will be delivering over a petition of over 30,000 signatures to the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, asking those companies to denounce the Chamber’s attacks on the clean energy jobs bill and the science of global warming, or resign from the group.

“We cannot let our clean energy economy be sacrificed to extreme coal interests that have only their bottom line, not the best interests of the American people, at heart. We need a clean energy jobs bill that benefits everyone, not just coal. We hope that other companies who consider the public interest part of their mission will resign from or at least condemn groups like ACCCE and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their efforts to kill clean energy jobs.”

From the AP:

North Carolina citizens have a chance to comment on their perceptions of the risk from a rise in sea level and what to do about it.

The state Division of Coastal Management said the online poll will help identify perceptions held by the public as it develops a policy on the issue.

Tancred Miller is the primary author of the survey and says the state is seeking everyone’s perception regardless of their knowledge about the topic or whether they believe it.

The survey is here at www.nccoastalmanagement.net. Curious as to the questions, I took the survey - of course identifying myself as a resident of Virginia Beach and the Sierra Club as my affiliate organization. The survey is on the flip. What’s interesting is the items suggested as possible adaptations and mitigation. I wonder how well a survey such as this would go over in Virginia.

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Over three dozen elected officials, local and state government officials from fifteen Hampton Roads local governments, and representatives from area environmental organizations gathered for the Hampton Roads Climate Leadership Workshop - VML Go Green Government Challenge on Thursday June 25 at Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton, VA. (See partial list of attendees on the flip.)

The workshop was sponsored by the newly formed Hampton Roads Cool Communities Coalition (HRCCC). The goal of the worshop was to help local governments move forward in measuring and reducing both municipal and community carbon footprints.

“We want cities to measure because you can’t conserve what you don’t measure,” said Randie Trestrail, who along with Ken Ricklin serve as co-chairs of the coalition. “Recognizing the seriousness of the situation and wanting to contribute to the solutions to climate change, HRCCC was formed by a group of fully engaged citizens eager to help support their local communities in their efforts to reduce GHG emissions”, she added.

Speakers included Dr. Diana Christopolous from the hugely successful Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition; Joe Lerch, director of the Virginia Municipal League’s Go Green Government program; and Glen Besa, Virginia chapter director of the Sierra Club.

More from today’s Daily Press’ article “Cool coalition works to lower local emissions”…

Diana Christopulos, chair of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, spoke to the group about how Roanoke officials measured emissions of both municipal government operations and the entire community. University graduate-student interns with academic supervision gathered the data and used software to calculate how much carbon dioxide and other ozone-depleting gases were generated from homes, businesses, industry, traffic and other sources. From there, Roanoke made a goal to stop increasing emissions by 2010 and to have a 10 percent reduction every five years thereafter through 2050.

Christopulos stressed the need for local governments to be leaders in reducing emissions to be a role model for the community. She also talked about ways local governments to cut back on greenhouse gases: conserving by having municipal vehicles take fewer trips, for example. Buying energy-efficient vehicles, appliances and lighting helps too, she said.

“One way to get started is to do the Go Green Virginia challenge,” Christopulos said.

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In a letter addressed to each member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the League of Conservation Voters announced its decision to not endorse anyone voting against the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act.

“In light of the tremendous importance of this legislation, LCV has made the unprecedented decision that we will not endorse any member of the House of Representatives in the 2010 election cycle who votes against final passage of this historic bill”, writes LCV President Gene Karpinski.

Click here to view pdf of letter.

Wonder how much of an impact that will have on Virginia’s congressional delegation…

Check out my LTE as it appeared in today’s Virginian-Pilot (with added byline, different photo and embedded link to our ACES “Take Action” page:

Ground zero in wind energy

Virginia is blessed with offshore wind, which could power as much as 20% of the commonwealth. The technology for offshore wind exists today and has proven commercially viable elsewhere in the world. Each wind turbine consists of more than 8,000 parts, which translates to thousands of good-paying, secure jobs. The U.S. holds a majority of the patents involved with solar energy systems. Yet those solar energy parts are primarily produced in Europe, which drives up the costs for systems sold in the U.S. Thus, we don’t see solar panels on as many homes and businesses as we should. The ’shot in the arm’ investment provided by the American Clean Energy and Security Act would get these systems produced right here, right now.

Meanwhile, of all the places in the U.S., the effects of climate change are felt hardest here in Hampton Roads with billions of dollars of our assets vulnerable to sea level rise and greater storm surges. But from problems come solutions, and Virginia could be a national leader in renewable energy production. Congress must pass the ACES Act, and Rep. Glenn Nye must lead the charge.

Eileen Levandoski
Sierra Club, Virginia chapter
Virginia Beach

Local small-business leaders and residents of Hampton Roads gathered at Solar Services Inc. in Virginia Beach to learn more about the potential for expansion of their businesses and further job creation as a result of investment in a clean energy economy, as could be provided with passage of a strong American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act.

The event was organized by MoveOn and the local Sierra Club group. Participants also included a representative from Congressman Glenn Nye’s office. Hampton Roads citizens are calling on Senators Warner and Webb and Rep. Nye to pass a strong clean energy jobs bill.

As I pointed out in my remarks, the ACES Act presents an opportunity to not only clean up global warming pollution by holding polluters accountable, but to also simultaneously and very quickly drive a shift in U.S. energy production toward cleaner, cheaper sources, like wind and solar, which are key to solving both our environmental and economic crises.

More specifically we here in Hampton Roads stand to reap a tremendous amount of benefit with passage of a strong ACES Act with both its investment in renewable energy production and its curbing global warming pollution. Hampton Roads is blessed with ideal offshore wind energy potential. Meanwhile, of all the places in the U.S., the effects of climate change are felt hardest here in Hampton Roads with $ billions of our assets vulnerable to sea level rise and greater and greater storm surges battering our coast.

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