Jeff's Updates from Copenhagen
Posted By: Amanda GillenJeff Wolfe is tweeting away from Copenhagen with lots of insight on activities, attitudes from the Climate Conference. Follow his tweets at:
http://twitter.com/jeff_grosolar
Jeff Wolfe is tweeting away from Copenhagen with lots of insight on activities, attitudes from the Climate Conference. Follow his tweets at:
http://twitter.com/jeff_grosolar
350.org has been rallying people around the world to take action on climage change. Most recently they organized a weekend of action December 11-13. Bill McKibben, 350.org founder and also a groSolar customer, sent out a rather inspiring email late yesterday about the success of this event all over the world. We wanted to re-publish that email here:
Dear Friends,
Thanks beyond thanks.
It’s been a remarkable day for those of us here in Copenhagen, but mostly not because of anything happening at the climate conference.
Instead it’s because of what you all did out in the rest of the world over the last 24 hours. We don’t have a full count of vigils around the world, but in something like 3,000 cities and towns across the planet your vigils sent the most powerful of messages to the leaders here: stop playing games, and start protecting the planet.
Here in Copenhagen, there were more than 100,000 people marching in the streets–99% of them peaceful and dignified–to call for climate solutions bold enough to meet the scale of the crisis. As the sun set on this city, thousands lit candles to stand in solidarity with those on the front lines of climate change–a moving and unprecedented moment in this movement.
We’ve already started to get your photos in front of world leaders and the global media assembled here. If you haven’t yet submitted your photos, videos, and stories, please do so just as soon as you can by visiting this link:
http://www.350.org/vigil-report
We’re projecting the images on walls and screens all around Copenhagen, and starting Monday we’ll be putting them to good use as lobbying tools for UN delegates from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
A wide network of allies and individuals helped pull this amazing feat off, and thanks to them–and all of you–our collective call to action is unavoidable. More importantly, our message was clear: the world can’t afford just any climate deal–we need a real deal that is fair enough to protect those bearing the brunt of climate impacts, is legally binding and enforceable, and is ambitious enough to get the world back on a path to 350.
While there’s no guarantee that world leaders will pay attention to this call with the level of ambition that’s required, we can guarantee that you’ve given this movement another boost at a crucial moment.
We’ll be in touch in the coming days, but for now know that everyone here sends their deep thanks and love.
Onwards,
Bill McKibben for the 350 Team
Found this cool tool from the Sustainability Institute in Hartland, VT at the Cobb Hill co-housing community where we installed solar hot water and where one of our solar installers lives.
Here is the link: http://climateinteractive.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/climate-scoreboard-cop15-widget/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClimateInteractive+%28Climate+Interactive%29
I recently posted my support of clean energy on the Repower Wall at Repower America and I encourage you all to do the same. Let your voice be heard.
Here is my post:
“It’s time. The science is sound, while still developing details. The evidence is clear, and mounting higher. There can be no more stalling, equivocating, deception. We have the technology to start making the needed changes now, and can create the largest economic opportunity ever, for all. The US now needs to be the leader again it has been in times past, and work to create a fair, just, and equitable agreement to move the world toward a sustainable climate. There is no more important issue for us; no more important environmental, social, or financial issue. Let us move, together, now.”
I’m posting from foggy Denmark. Much like Vermont, but flatter and with thatched roofs (beautiful roofs, but how would we attach PV)! A few hundred years ago the area we are in, Tisvildeleje, was buried by sand dunes due to deforestation. These dunes buried entire villages including a church we visited! Eventually they reseeded, then reforested 60,000+ hectares of dune and then shoveled many things out. Took about 150 years to fight the dunes back but they were successful. A lesson we need to relearn in many more parts of the world today. (They are doing a massive tree planting program west of Beijing, which is threatened by sand dunes.) Nothing can stop the sand dunes except replanting. Can’t plant fast enough really.
Meanwhile, after a horrible night’s sleep and a late start, we managed to go to Helsingor, (legendary setting of Elsingor for Hamlet) and tour the castle Kronborg. Quite impressive, considering it was first constructed in late 1500’s. Again took public transit successfully (though we did take the ‘long way’ accidently!)
And although I have been enjoying an actual vacation, I have been keeping in the loop of news and media surrounding the climate conference and have a few observations:
More to come from Copenhagen…
Wonderful bike ride in Denmark. Like VT, but flat. 25 km – good for out-of-shape guy!
Most people take a vacation to escape the day to day of life and work and to really rest and relax. Jeff & Dori Wolfe are not “most people.” Our founders are taking a vacation to Copenhagen, Denmark to be there for the climate change conference.
As Jeff said, “We’re going to Copenhagen not simply to watch, but to move the world toward a sane climate policy. Taking vacation at a climate conference in not most people’s idea of fun, especially in Denmark in the winter, but Dori and I did not hesitate to commit to it.”
Jeff & Dori are traveling as part of the delegation from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). SEIA has “party status” – meaning the organization has been nominated by the U.S. to participate in climate discussions at the conference. SEIA will be working with other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) during the conference.
While in Copenhagen, Jeff will be presenting Al Gore’s climate slideshow – an updated version of the one seen in “An Inconvenient Truth” – at the local Bella Center office of the U.S. Alliance for Climate Protection on December 14.
On Sunday, Jeff posted the following to his Facebook account:
Why are people so ready to deny climate change? I guess just like people hate going to the Dr., and don’t believe the bad news they sometimes give. People want to avoid bad news any way they can. Those who are obscuring the truth of climate change are affecting us all, and putting us in grave danger.
Responses to the post came quickly and passionately. You can see all of the responses on Jeff’s Facebook here (friend him if you are not already connected).
We’d like to open up the same discussion here on the blog. Why are people so ready to deny climate change? What are your solutions to our cultural (or perhaps biological) inability to recognize and respond to future danger?
The 101 kW PV installation on our roof is going well. It is about 30% complete and our installation crew has had some clear, crisp Vermont weather to work in.