Join the Spheres of Influence “Salon”
Do you want to make a meaningful contribution on the climate crisis– and work with other influencers to be a part of the solution?
Are you thinking about how to leave your mark?
Do you want to understand the issues more deeply?
Then you’ve come to the right place to learn what you can do to make a difference on the climate crisis.
Towards that end, Dr. Sarah Warren launched a novel initiative: The Spheres of Influence Salon on Climate Change. Spheres of Influence is a service oranization that consists of professionals who are using their influence to combat climate change.
The Spheres of Influence Salon brings together influencers who want to make a difference — who want to use their money and energy, spirit and wisdom, connections and passion to leave a healthy planet for their children and grandchildren– for tomorrow’s children.
OUR MISSION: To serve those who are working to protect the planet, and to help the concerned citizen become more engaged.
HOW IT WORKS: We gather several times a year for conversation about important aspects of the effort to protect the planet. At those gatherings, experts, sustainability professionals and concerned individuals come together to share ideas and resources. We also offer monthly national conference calls on which members are invited to partcipate in live dicussion; non members listen in.
Two features distinguish our network: Its caliber, and its broad range from arts and media to science and policy to global corporations.
Join Spheres of Influence Salon today at Member Registration. Join now and be enterted to win a copy of James Balog’s new book: Extreme Ice Now.
Extreme Ice
Why a salon? A salon is a European concept, defined by Wikipedia as a gathering in which “the participants sought to increase their knowledge through conversation and readings.” The Spheres of Influence Salon is a virtual and live venue for stimulating dialogue with thought leaders, experts and visionaries who are addressing the climate crisis.
Thought leaders and experts in the Salon community include:
Thought leader Rob Harmon (WA) of Bonneville Environmental Foundation, who invented the retail carbon credit (REC) and who continues to develop innovative market solutions to the problem of C02 emissions.
Richard Rood (MI), Professor of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences at University of Michigan. Formerly at NASA, Professor Rood works as part of an interdisciplinary team on climate change, and thoughtfully addresses matters such the relationship between science and policy.
Brad Warren (WA) of the international nonprofit Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, whose clients include Wal-Mart and McDonalds. He has been working at the interface of business and the environment for 25 years, and is an expert on ocean acidification- global warming’s evil twin– another unintended consequence of our rising C02 emissions.
Pamela Martin (IL), Professor of Geophysical Sciences at University of Chicago. Prof. Martin is doing important research in various areas related to climate change, including matters of practical day-to-day relavance such as the carbon footprint of our diet.
Karen Leigh Cook (NM), energy policy consultant of EECOM, Inc, is active with the US Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Center and the US Green Building Council, and believes passionately that we have a responsibility to “clear away the policy barriers for the sake of our children.”
Jeff Short (AK), marine scientist with the natoinal nonprofit Oceana. Working on how CO2 emissions impact the oceans and on climate policy in the run up to the Copenhagen talks in December 2009.
“Tackling global warming is a form of estate planning. The people who have the most at stake in reversing global warming are the parents of the world. People who are civic leaders who help to run our companies are also parents, and they play a lot of other roles in the world. I think we need to step out of our business roles and look at our spheres of influence. We all have to come together as parents to fight climate change.” David Weinberg, charter member of Salon/retired head of FelPro, Inc.
Listen to the audio testimonial from Joey Feinstein, Founder and CEO of ClimateCycle.org and Founding member of Spheres of Influence Young Leaders Circle
The Spheres of Influence Salon launched September 2008 at Navy Pier in Chicago during the Corporate Climate Response Conference. Speakers for the Salon Kick-Off included Rob Harmon, renewable energy thought leader and Chief Innovation Officer at the Bonneville Environmental Foundation who developed the concept of the retail carbon credit (REC), actress and founding Salon member Nora Dunn (Saturday Night Live, Second City) who is also an accomplished painter and committed conservationist who uses her talents and wit to deliver her message, and Brooks Scott, from corporate sustainability pioneer Patagonia, who spoke about how climate change has propelled their company to deepen their commitment to protecting the natural world. They shared their inspirational stories about how they are using their spheres of influence, and how we can all effectively use our talents, voices and votes.
Interested in learning about the benefits of membership? Visit our Spheres of Influence Salon Member Registration. You are also invited to learn more about our organization’s Code of Conduct.
Upcoming Salon Events:
Saturday, December 5th, 5:30-7:00 pm
Holiday Party!
Let’s Celebrate How to Live and Give “Green”
Converse with special guests Jack Darin, Director of the Illinois Sierra Club and Cool Globes artist Andrea Harris.
We’ll also talk about how to “give” in nonmaterial ways, including using your voice!
We will be raising money for the Sierra Club!
Enjoy lucious organic wine, local cheeses and tasty healthy desserts while you do your holiday shopping.
Thank you to Mohawk Fine Papers for your generous sponsorship of this event!
Register in advance and save over tickets at the door:
http://ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/spheres/party.php
Tuesday, January 26th , 2010
8-9 pm Eastern / 7-8 pm Central / 5-6 pm Pacific
Teleconference & Virtual Roundtable Topic: Forging a Corporate Coalation: Green SigmaTM
Special Guest: Melissa O’Mara of IBM who is a Sustainability Leader (and Charter Spheres of Influence member) who has been spearheading the new Green Sigma Coalition of corporations who have committed to reduce their environmental footprint, including energy and water.
Join us for this stimulating discussion of a truly innovative collaborative effort among corporations.
Moderator: Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder
Register, pose your question and get the call in number:
http://ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/spheres/ask.php
As always, select Spheres members will be invited to join the Virtual Roundtable. Non members are welcome to listen in.
Recent Salon Events
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Teleconference & Virtual RoundtableTopic: Climate Change: A View from Abroad (Beyond China & India)
Special Guest: Dana Kenney (City of Chicago Dept. of Environment, formerly of USAID)
Moderator: Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder
Spheres of Influence member Dana Kenney worked in emerging countries on energy efficiency with US AID for a number of years. She shared her unique perspective, having only recently returned from the developing world. She offered her insights into how we can apply lessons learned from the developing world, and how emerging economies can continue to grow while we reduce our C02 emissions. She was joined for the Roundtable by Prof. Richard Rood (UMichigan) and Prof. Cynthia Lynton (Northwestern).
Listen to the audiofile: http://www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/audio/DanaKenney11-11-09.wav
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
Conference Call & Virtual Roundtable
Topic: So What IS the Food & Climate Change Connection?
Special Guest: Prof. Pamela Martin (Univ. of Chicago)
Moderator: Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder
The food and climate connection is that one that captures a lot of attention.
Prof. Martin shared her exciting research on the impact of urban sustainable farms– and her vision for a viable local “food shed” in Chicagoland that could feed 4.5 million people!
And we learned that cutting out meat and dairy saves as much C02 emissions as driving a Prius!
For the Roundtable we were joined by Dana Kenney (City of Chicago Dept. of the Environment) and Patsy Benveniste of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Listen to the audio here:
http://ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/audio/PamelaMartin9-22-09FoodClimate.wav
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Cocktail Party & Green Home Tour
Salon members and friends new and old kicked off the fall season with a cocktail and a private tour of the beautiful green home and office of leading green architects, Ron & Lisa Elkins of the firm Two Point Perspective. We had a great time drinking appletinis, learning about green home resources, business innovation related to green design, green building policy iniatives, and even veered into how diet and climate are related as we enjoyed gorgeous vegan appetizers by The Balanced Kitchen. And we welcome new members Lisa & Ron Elkins to the Salon!
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
National Teleconference & Virtual Round Table:
Mothers Using their Voices on Climate Policy
SPECIAL GUEST: Karen Leigh Cook (US Council of Mayors, US Green Building Council)
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.
Inner Sphere policy maven Karen Leigh Cook is a longtime climate policy advocate who is extremely effective at speaking out and engaging policy makers.
Karen says “We need to clear away the policy obstacles for the next generation.”
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Support Sphere Feedback Session with Joey Feinstein, Young Leaders Circle member & Founder of Climate Cycle.
Several Salon members with different areas of professional expertise met with Joey Feinstein to offer him feedback on his power point on Climate Cycle.
Joey said “Thank you all for your feedback. It saved me months of trial and error. It was spot on.”
July 14th, 2009
Teleconference & Virtual Round Table:
Renewable Energy: Outlook & Opportunities
SPECIAL GUEST: Rob Harmon, Chief Innovation Officer, Bonneville Environmental Foundation
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.
Rob Harmon is a member of the Salon’s Inner Sphere. The inventor of Retail RECs, Rob is a true thought leader in the realm of renewable energy. With close to two decades in the industry, Rob is steeped in the field.
Rob had just been in DC talking with legislators about the problem of of the Waxman Markey bill negatively impacting the voluntary market for RECs.
Rob was joined on this call by other Inner Sphere members: Karen Leigh Cook, Brad Warren and Prof. Richard Rood.
Listen in on this high level policy discussion (and please be patient with the audio when Brad Warren is speaking). Listen and take action!
www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/RobHarmonRenewablesLegistative&BusinessUpdate7-14-09.wav
Register to pose your question and get the call in number. Salon members may be selected to participate in the Round Table portion of the call. Non-members may listen in.
June 12th, 2009
Garden Party & Dinner Celebrating our Bright Green Future
During Cocktails in the Garden we honored remarkable Young Leaders– entrepreneurs and policy advocates and educators–and launched the Young Leaders Circle of membership.
Our dinner guests lingered over an intimate dinner until after midnight discussing the policy implications of global warming’s evil twin– ocean acidification. Our special guests were Brad Warren of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and Jeff Short of Oceana. It was a powerful conversation about how we can and must use our spheres of influence to shape global emissions policy at this critical juncture.
June 9th, 2009
National Conference Call & Virtual Roundtable
“Sustaining Ourselves, Sustaining the Planet– or Go Green, Get Happy!”
FEATURED SPEAKER: Sarah Warren, Ph.D.
April 22nd, 2009
Earth Day Organic Wine Tasting with Local “Green Heroes”
We joined Bill and Eleanor Revelle (son and daughter-in-law of Prof. Roger Revelle who introduced Gore to C02) and Suzanne Canfield of the Garden Clubs of America, and Jill Geiger of Environmental Law & Policy Center for a discussion of what we need to do to scale up our efforts to combat climate change. The conclusion: Get involved in policy (arrived at over a lucious glass of organic wine)!
April 10th, 2009
Teleconference & Virtual Round Table:
Education for a Hot Crowded World: The “Green
Car Kids” from Philadelphia Automotive Academy
Special Guests: Simon Hauger and the EVX Team
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.
March 10th, 2009
Teleconference & Virtual Round Table:
Simple Green: The Financial & Spiritual Rewards of Going Green in an Economic Crisis
SPECIAL GUESTS: Nancy & Mathew Sleeth, MD.
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.
February 17th, 2009
Teleconference & Virtual Round Table:
Science Update
SPECIAL GUEST: Prof. Richard Rood (University of Michigan)
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.
Assessing Corporate Sustainability
SPECIAL GUEST: Neal Levin, Founder of the SKAN Project.
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.
Organic Wine Tasting
and Discussion of Food & Global Warming
In spite of a blizzard, a great group of people joined actress and founding Salon member Nora Dunn, civic leader David Weinberg, special guest experts Prof. Pamela Martin (University of Chicago), Joanne Weidemann-Wolf of Angelic Organics, Sarah Elizabeth Ippelt of the new Academy for Global Citizenship, and Joel Smith of Slow Food International, and founding Salon member John Woldenberg, co-founder of Cool Globes.
We were joined by lots of interesting people who are various shades of green. We sampled organic wine and had a very stimulating discussion. A handful of people who attended are just sticking their toes in the water– they are part of the outer sphere of the Salon, and the growing movement of unlikely environmentalists.
December 11 th, 2008
Holiday Party
David Weinberg & Dr. Sarah Warren
Dr. Sarah Warren & Nora Dunn
Wednesday, December 3
“Setting the agenda for the first 100 days”
Prof. Eban Goodstein, author of Fighting for Love in the Century of Extinction artfully blends passion and policy. In early 2008 Professor Goodstein mobilized 1 million participants across the country. On February 5, with the National Teach in on Global Warming Solutions, he plans to do the same. — His sphere of influence is pretty big. He shared his view as an economist that the economic downturn affords an opportunity to build green infrastructure. He spoke with Salon members about how they can participate in setting the agenda for “the first 100 days.” And– A great Spheres of Influence conversation occurred, in which members helped Eban solve some of his outreach challenges.
Wednesday, October 8
“How we can seize the opportunity of the election to get the climate policies we need—for our children’s sake?”
Betsy Taylor, co-founder of 1Sky (www.1sky.org), discussed with Dr. Sarah Warren how we can use our spheres of influence in the weeks before the election to ensure that we get the climate policies we need to protect the planet for our children. Betsy Taylor was featured in Leo DiCaprio’s film 11th Hour. Prior to founding 1Sky- a new national climate focused NGO- Betsy was with Center for the New American Dream which she founded. Listen to that conversation. (www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/audio/SpheresBetsyTaylor10-8-08.wav)
To read the indepth email exchange with Richard Rood and Rob Harmon that followed one of the callers’ questions about the Pickens Plan, visit this page on my site. (If the link is not working, go the right side of the site and click on the page entitled “Salon Policy Experts…”)
More about the ongoing Salon:
Dr. Sarah Warren believes that the only way to turn the climate crisis around is for us all to green our lifestyles and businesses, as well as to overhaul our policies – and for all of us to act as catalysts for others to join in the burgeoning collective effort to save the planet.
The Salon is about more than reducing our carbon footprints. It’s about the power of stories, the power of exchanging ideas, and the power of relationships and new partnerships. It’s about the power of a community of influencers.
Dr. Warren believes that we should heed the call issued by David King, a former top science advisor to the British government: “”We need to pull people toward …the bigger challenges where the outcome for our civilization is really crucial.” There is no greater challenge than climate change. There is no better focus for our talents and efforts.
The spirit of the Salon is embodied by several of its charter members. Civic leader David Weinberg, the retired head of FelPro, Inc, has applied his talents as a professional photographer to climate change as the photographer for the coffee table book for the Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for Cooler Planet traveling public art exhibit. He sees fighting global warming as matter of “estate planning.” We invite you to listen to a recent Interview with David Weinberg.
Other charter members include Suzanne Farver who is a board member of Rocky Mountain Institute who recently completed research at Harvard on framing climate change issues. Lisa Nigro, social venture pioneer and proud Prius owner, who founded the Inspiration Cafe, demonstrating how successfully businesses can solve social problems. Real estate developer and independent film producer John Woldenberg produced the documentary film Cool It; as a member of Board of the Holocaust Museum, he is supporting the museum’s efforts to ensure environmental responsibility.
The Spheres of Influence Salon is not just about getting more deeply informed about the climate crisis but about committing to use our collective energy and wisdom to tackle climate change. It is about joining a community of civic and business leaders and experts on science and policy who want to achieve the common end of leaving a legacy we can be proud of. The mission of the Salon is to move people from awareness into action– action that is meaningful, thoughtful and high impact.
Join Dr. Sarah Warren, a seasoned psychologist and addictions specialist– that includes oil– who is committed to creating a unified, collective war effort. She inspires to people use their spheres of influence to preserve the “garden” that nourishes us, sustains our businesses and economy, and offers us and our children remarkable beauty.
To learn more about the benefits of membership, visit our member page. No ready to join? To stay informed about future programs and opportunities for involvement, sign up on Dr. Sarah’s mailing list.
Live events will occur not only in Chicago but in various locations around the country. And, of course, thanks to the power of technology, you can participate in virtual events from anywhere!
Keep coming back to learn more details. Or, to save yourself the effort, sign up for Dr. Sarah’s mailing list.
If you want to “tend the garden” that sustains our economy and our lives, if you want to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis by using your spheres of influence, this salon will place you in the midst of the green zeitgeist—what Dr. Sarah Warren calls the war effort to save the planet.
June 15, 2009
Shaping Global Emissions Policy: What can you do?
We have a critical window in which to shape post- Kyoto global climate change policy in the run up to the talks in December 2009 in Copenhagen.
Why is this a critical window? First, because scientists tell us we have only several years in which to cut emissions to curb the most harmful effects of climate change. And at our June Spheres of Influence dinner event, we learned that the oceans are telling us that C02 emissions are not just causing climate change but poisoning the oceans– now. The oceans are the canary in the coal mine. Second, because the treaty that is negotiated in Copenhagen will either make or break our international ability to create the policies that are essential to stave off climate disaster.
You may wonder what you as a mere mortal can do to make a difference. Until very recently, I was prepared to leave international policy to the big players like Al Gore and Tony Blair.
But now I understand how critical Midwestern swing votes are –and I see the “on ramps” for the action of ordinary citizens. It all comes down to using your voice as a constituent. It matters. It really, really matters.
Key Midwestern swing vote elected officials:
House: Kirk; Halverson; Visclosky
Senate: Lugar; Bayh; Grassley; Stabenow; Levin; Conrad; Dorgan; Brown; Voinovich; Alexander; Pryor; Murkowski
So– starting with the easiest possible action: Sign the petition created by Oceana stating that we need strong climate change policy in the US now. Oceana makes it easy to speak out to your US elected officials supporting strong climate change policy. Just click the button!
Even more effective: Write a personal letter or set up a meeting with your US US Senator supporting Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 (S. 309). This bill aims to avoid the dangerous and irreversible warming of this planet by mandating cuts in heat-trapping pollution now and increasing those cuts year by year. Write a personal letter or set up a meeting with your US Congressional Representative supporting the Safe Climate Act of 2007 (HR. 1590). This bill aims to avoid the dangerous and irreversible warming of this planet by mandating a flexible economy-wide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, along with measures to advance technology and reduce emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency and cleaner cars.
Another great resource for national climate policy in the run up to Copenhagen is 1sky.org which focuses only on climate change policy. In the Midwest, the Envirnomental Law & Policy Center is a key resource.
It only takes five– that’s right–five letters, phone calls or visits from constituents to get the attention of our elected officials.
Not sure how to contact your Representives?
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
They want to hear from you– and your children and grandchildren need you to take this step now to ensure a world in which they can flourish.
Get involved and you will reap tremendous personal rewards. Make a difference. It feels great to have your voice heard!
Become a Spheres of Influence member today and become a part of the solution. http://www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/spheres/
Follow me on Twitter to stay up to date on opportunities to use your voice: @drsarahwarren.
May 26, 2009
Meet Dr. Sarah Warren- Catalyst and Ambassador for Green
As a clinical and consulting psychologist, Dr. Sarah Warren uses her expertise in behavior change and communication to serve as an ambassador for green. Drawing on her work in the addictions field—that includes our addiction to oil–, her mission is to educate and inspire individuals and organizations in order to move them from denial to awareness to action and into “recovery”.
A seasoned psychologist, Dr. Sarah turned her expertise in behavior change to the problem of the climate crisis, helping people find their mission by greening their lifestyles, businesses and careers to protect the planet for future generations so that they may enjoy the “garden” that nourishes us and our economy. Along the way she helps people reinvent themselves and leave their mark.
Dr. Sarah knows that change is difficult, necessary– and possible. And Dr. Sarah knows that change is rewarding. The daughter of an MIT researcher who was in on the ground floor of artificial intelligence, Dr. Warren focuses on analyzing the big picture and delivering highly effective messages about our climate crisis. With a brother who has been writing about business and the environment for 25 years and is one of the foremost experts on ocean acidification— global warming’s “evil twin–” and a sister who is a district manager at Patagonia, a pioneer among environmentally responsible companies, Dr. Warren comes naturally by her commitment to inspiring informed eco-action.
When she realized that global warming threatened her two young boys, she joined a growing movement of people who are shifting from somewhat committed unlikely environmentalists to deeply committed and empassioned eco-warriors who want to save the “garden” that feeds us, sustains our economy, and offers us natural beauty.
The Founder of the Spheres of Influence Salon on climate change, Dr. Sarah enjoys public speaking, writing, and coaching businesses and individuals on greening their practices. She also works to help people become informed, engaged voters on the pressing matter of climate policy. We invite you to learn more about our services by contacting DrSarah@ourspheresofinfluence.com.
Keep checking back as this site grows into a comprehensive resource offering climate crisis news, information on the problem and the solution (as in what you can do!), tips and trends, and Dr. Sarah’s views and opinions as a behavior change expert for the age of global warming.
And sign up for her mailing list.
May 23, 2008
Raising and Educating Global Citizens in the Age of Global Warming
Climate change represents the greatest challenge—and opportunity– humanity has ever faced. Today’s children will require a new set of well-developed strengths, qualities and competencies in order to thrive in the age of global warming. How will we cultivate the necessary competencies and qualities?
How are we preparing our future leaders for the world that Thomas Friedman so aptly describes in his latest must-read book, Hot, Flat and Crowded?
The challenges on the horizon are detailed in a report released in November, 2008 by the National Intelligence Council entitled, “Global Trends 2025.” This stunning report portrays a world unlike anything we’ve known, in part because of the scale and scope of global social, economic, environmental and resource challenges. They anticipate a world in which we have rogue– even criminal– states and widespread wars over water, food and energy. Not surprisingly, they highlight the need for science and technology advances. Finally, they articulate the leadership opportunities afforded by this world transformed. Do we see an educational call to action here?
On a more experiential basis, the wildfires in the Los Angeles area in November 2008 highlight the ways that climate change impacts all social classes. Multimillion dollar mansions as well as trailer parks were leveled. And if you live in a trailer park, how hard is that loss going to hit? The UCLA Medical Center loat power – babies were delivered in the dark. Imagine that you’re the head of that hospital? Imagine that you’re the physician delivering the baby? Imagine that you’re the mother? Imagine that you run the Fire Department? Imagine that you run a corporation?
Regardless of where we live, we are impacted– already. In the Midwest, we have flooding from heavy rainfalls. Recall the picture of the bridge on the Mississippi River with homes crushed against it. Think of the Cubs being flooded out. In the Southeast, think drought. Anywhere on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, think fierce hurricanes and rising sea levels. Think Hurricane Ike which at one point was 600 miles wide. Hard to wrap our minds around, but we can and must in order to cope—and to prepare our future workforce and leaders to cope with a whole new world.
For instance, within our children’s lifetimes, we will be adapting to the presence of millions “climate refugees” who will be displaced by rising sea levels in coastal areas both here and abroad. How will we will we accommodate a whole new influx of people who arrive all at once from very different cultures? What will this mean for our social relations? How do we prepare our children for that new social world?
Another example: Water shortages are projected within the next few decades, even adjacent to vast Great Lakes. Water shortages can be hard to imagine when we’re sitting next to the Great Lakes which represent 90% of the world’s fresh water. But lake levels are down, and demand is up, and projected to rise yet further. And much of Chicagoland gets its water from underground aquifers that are drying up. Further, over a third of the US has recently been in drought. Last year, Atlanta came within 100 days of running out of water—with no backup.
The right to the use of the Great Lakes water is determined by Supreme Court Consent Decree. The States and Canadian Provinces that share the shores of the Great Lakes are each given a certain allotment. And that water can’t be sold, for instance, to the Chinese– which almost happened a few years ago. But such decrees may be revisited. And when they are, will we be prepared to address the moral dimension of deciding who gets access to 90% of the world’s fresh water when the much of the rest of the world is dealing with water shortages?
As a psychologist, as a parent and as a climate change expert , I would suggest that we are entrusted to prepare our children to …
be able to think systemically about complex inter-related problems.
be outstanding team players and collaborators.
be very tech, math and science savvy in order to innovate the solutions we need
to adapt to and manage new climate conditions.
have outstanding creative problem solving skills.
be resilient and flexible.
face loss and disappointment.
be informed about the policies that affect our climate and prepared to use
their voices because we can’t conserve our way out of these challenges
value nature and its resources.
have strong moral and ethical sense in order to make ethically challenging decisions
about stressed resources such as water.
be avid conservationists.
be compassionate and display grace under pressure.
have a sense of “enoughness” so that they can appreciate they have.
display generosity of spirit.
Most of these qualities may seem like nothing out of the ordinary. In a sense, they are the basic tenets of the world’s major religious traditions. They might seem like the essence of good education.
But are we educating our children with cultivation of these qualities and competencies in sharp focus?
These competencies are essential to preparing the next generation to manage the challenges our young people will face.As a society, as parents, as educators, as civic leaders thinking about our future workforce and leaders, we need to think carefully about not just what we teach our children about conservation and science but about how to get along in a world that is very different from what we have previously known.
This is not just about the substance of what we teach but how we teach– but that’s another conversation. We have an opportunity to prepare our children to thrive. Are we seizing that opportunity?
May 22, 2008
Join Dr. Sarah’s Green Career Circle
Based on the tremendous response to Dr. Sarah’s “Be Green & Make Green” teleseminar– which drew callers from Minneapolis to California to Florida– Dr. Sarah has created The Green Career Circle for early to mid-career professionals who want to transition into a job in the green economy, start a green business, or “green” their current position.
The Green Career Circle brings together professionals for dialogue and strategizing about opportunities to go green.
The next offering of Green Career Circle is a 3 session teleseminar running consecutive Saturdays from October 25- November 8 (11am -12:30 Eastern/10-11:30 am Central/8-9:30 Pacific). New members will be accepted each week as space permits- members do not need to have attended all previous sessions in order to benefit. To register: http://www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/ask/greencareercircle.php
With the current economic downturn, we will focus on how to green your current position– which can be strategically advantageous to your career.
And just about any job can be turned into a green job!
Here is an MP3 of a session in which we talked about Finding Opportunities in the Green Economy:
Members learn what questions to ask themselves about how to find a career that suits their personality, skills and passion. We also discuss ways to transfer skills and training to green careers. Members will also learn about emerging nonprofit and for-profit opportunities in the green economy, and will leave with a plan for a green career transition.
“I found that Dr. Sarah’s Green Career Circle Teleseminar has really energized me. For 21 years, I held various financial management positions, including Senior Vice President and Treasurer with Bank One (acquired by JP Morgan Chase in 2004). Later I served as Chief Financial Officer of a major insurance company. So my question became ‘How can I leverage my background and skills to make a positive impact on the environment?’ The Green Career Circle Teleseminar provided insight into the myriad opportunities available. More importantly, it has given me a road map as to how to access where I can make a difference.” Eileen Kennedy, Chicago IL
You don’t have to take a vow of poverty to make a difference!
Join Dr. Sarah, a seasoned psychological career coach who helps clients harness their talents and passions and develop more meaningful careers that save the planet.
Want to learn more? Email Dr. Sarah at DrSarah@ecoactionplan.org.
May 22, 2008
Salon Policy Experts on Pickens Plan, Mitigation & Adaptation- October 2008
On October 8, 2008 we had a Spheres of Influence Salon teleconference conversation with Betsy Taylor, founder of 1Sky, on climate policy. We were joined in that conversation by Prof. Richard Rood of University of Michigan who weighed in on what the science suggests about the need to adapt to climate change, and by Suzanne Farver, Board member of Rocky Mountain Institute who has done research at Harvard on framing climate change. And actress Nora Dunn took away some challenging questions to pose to her presidential candidate of choice.
Before the call with Betsy Taylor, Melissa O’Mara, who works in sustainability at IBM, posed several great thought-provoking questions that we did not get to on the call regarding Pickens’ Plan–which is in clear evidence in both presidential candidates’ energy platforms– and about where we are on energy options. After the call, I posed Melissa’s questions on line to our Salon experts on climate policy which prompted the following responses from both Rob Harmon, inventor of the REC (robharmon@b-e-f.org) and Richard Rood (rbrood@umich.edu) . Richard Rood invites comments and responses to a piece that he has written at http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0813-rood_thoumi.html .
Listen to that conversation at:
www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/audio/SpheresBetsyTaylor10-8-08.wav
Read the subsequent email exchange in full below. Their responses are worthy of reviewing in their entirety.
Here is what Prof. Richard Rood says about Pickens’ Plan and our various sources of energy:
“I have listened to him a couple of times. I think that he speaks a lot of sense.
His plan is very focused on energy security, with little direct concern about climate change.
In general, I think that it is critical to consider the approach to energy and climate and economic growth and consumption problem in both the near term and the long term. It is clearly impossible to just abandon fossil fuels. For climate protection we have to find a way to break the correlation between energy use, economic success, and CO2 emission. Wind farms as in the Pickens portfolio is one of the best tools we have for doing this. Hence, a diversification to wind and solar etc. is an important piece of the puzzle. One issue with wind, geothermal, etc. if you add up the possible energy from the source and compare it energy consumption, it does not match. Plus there are potential environmental impacts from massive wind and solar farms. Of the “alternative” energy sources solar has the potential to scale to be large enough to become a primary source. But there are a number of technological issues that need to be addressed. Hence, a bridge is an important concept. Of the other “alternatives” nuclear is the most straightforward to make wholesale replacement in say, electrical generation, but there are many techno-emotional issues involved. Coal looms there as accessible and cheap, but without sequestration is climate disaster. So again, we need some bridging strategy.
To be clear. By far the biggest and best tool in the tool box in the short term is efficiency. But we have to have some sort valuation of efficiency so that we don’t just use more energy because of our efficiency savings.
So … Pickens is a voice that makes sense. But it is in terms of energy security, not climate change. His help to climate change is a side product, which is fine. But energy security can trump climate change.
Might be interested in this piece I published recently with one of my business students, who is now a carbon management director in the corporate world.
http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0813-rood_thoumi.html
Would be interested in the comments of others.
ricky,
Richard B. Rood
Professor: Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences
University of Michigan
Rood AOSS Web Page <http://aoss.engin.umich.edu/people/rbrood>
Rood Weather Underground Climate Blog <http://www.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/show.html>
Rood AMS climatepolicy.org <http://climatepolicy.org> Blog <http://www.climatepolicy.org/>
++++++++
Here is Rob Harmon on our energy options, including his response to Pickens on natural gas for cars:
1. We can reduce energy consumption in US buildings by at least 50% and put the country back to work by improving the energy productivity in buildings. That requires a major push. We could start with neighborhood pilots where we do everything that is cost-effective over the life of the measure. (A 5 year payback on weather stripping that lasts 1 year is a bad investment, but a 20 year payback on attic insulation that lasts 30 years is a good investment.) We have to keep our eye on 2050, here.
2. If we do this, we don’t need to build any nukes. Lovins has a great piece on nukes here: http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid467.php
The notion that solving the problem with solar would use up too much land is misplaced. First, you start with the rooftops we already have.
3. We need a smart grid. We currently have a really dumb grid. Because electricity is tough to store, you have to use it in real time. That is an information management problem. We need to get the IT geniuses working on this problem. If demand and supply can’t “talk” to each other, you need much more infrastructure. We need more brains and less brawn for this problem.
4. We need to move from changing light bulbs, to changing laws. Without good policy, none of this is going to happen. Right now the incentives are to pollute. We need to make it profitable to save the planet, rather than trash it. Until we do that, we are fighting ourselves.
5. On the transportation side, only 8% of the energy in a gallon of gas is used to move the passenger forward (Lovins). The rest is lost to inefficiencies. Again, application of brains would really help here. It makes no sense to me to build an entire natural gas infrastructure for transportation when it does not solve the climate problem, it is inferior to electricity, and the cars are unbelievably inefficient. Plug in hybrids make way more sense. Public transportation would help too.”
Rob
Robert Harmon
Chief Innovation Officer &
Senior Vice President
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
May 15, 2008
Addiction to Oil– and the Path to Recovery
Dr. Sarah Warren is a psychologist, and she brings to bear her expertise in treating addictions.
Tom Friedman, author of Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America, has referred to us as addicted to oil. President Bush, who has slowly come to acknowledge the reality of global warming, has referred to “our addiction to oil.”
So the rhetoric of addiction to oil is part of the discourse. And as an addictions expert, I can attest that the mechanisms of addiction — denial and rationalization,– come into play in our use of fossil fuels.
It’s as if we’ve been on a collective binge since about 1960-only instead of drinking, we’ve been directly and indirectly consuming lots of fossil fuels. And instead of getting DUIs and lab results telling us that our liver is shot, we’re getting global warming and a host of related complications that take the problem to a crisis level. Our actions have caught up with us.
And just as alcoholics can go into recovery, we as a society can recover from our addiction to oil.
We don’t just ask alcoholics to change their behavior– we regulate alcohol. We treat the problem of excessive use of alcohol not just as a matter of personal responsiblity but as a policy issue.
To go into recovery, we need to get out of denial, shift to a state of awareness, and move from awareness into concerted action. As a society we are moving into a state of awareness of the consequences of our dependence on oil. From there we need to move into collective action– now. We need to start to reduce our dependence on oil– and when we “relapse” we need to get back on track. We need to confront our resistances to change. And we need to create the policy conditions that support us in shifting away from oil.
As a society, we can go into recovery. We can change our lifestyles, our business practices and our policies. We can share with recovering alcoholics and addicts the rewards of a new way of life–including the knowlege that we’re doing right by our children.
Recovery: Hope and Rewards
The good news is that as an addiction specialist, Dr. Sarah Warren can say that there is hope. Recovery is possible. She has helped many drug addicts and alcoholics change their habits. And they have to go through physical withdrawal, which thankfully we don’t when we walk the kids to school instead of driving– or when we overhaul our policies to incentivize renewable energy.
Change is hard-and necessary, and possible. And the rewards are immeasurable.
Won’t you join us in confronting our addiction?
May 14, 2008
The Climate Crisis: What Global Warming Means for You
So what does the climate crisis mean for you?
If you’re a business owner, it could mean business interuption thanks to unpredictable weather. Just think about the bizarre ice storm in 2007 that stretched from Maine to California to Mexico. And it could mean tremendous opportunities to develop new ways of doing business in the growing green economy.
If you’re a professional looking for new career opportunities, it means more jobs in growing fields like wind and solar, water management, and corporate sustainabilility.
If you’re a parent or grandparent or future parent, the climate crisis–unchecked–is likely to mean that your children will face tremendous challenges in the form of global economic downturn, food and water shortages, wars over resources such as water.
You’ve come to the right place if you want to know more about what Global Warming looks like and what you can do to make an important difference for the future of our planet.
The planet is the garden that nourshes us. Don’t we all want to live in a lovely garden? Don’t we want our children to live in an abundant garden?
Keep coming back to learn more as the site expands to become a comprehensive resource on the problem of global warming– and you can do!
May 3, 2008
Learn More About the Eco-Action Plan
Dr. Sarah’s EcoAction Plan is designed to help guide you though the transformation process that will allow you to…
Harness your talents, skills and passion to make a living while saving the planet.
Reduce your business’ environmental impact– and improve employee retention while saving money!
Green your lifestyle and join the growing movement of unlikely environmentalists and new ecowarriors.
The EcoAction Plan will help you identify opportunities to reduce your environmental impact, and actions that will allow you to have the greatest possible beneficial effect. And what’s really cool is that not only will you benefit economically, you will find the EcoAction Plan tremendously rewarding.
May 1, 2008
Want to Make Difference?- Vote Green! Hold Your Elected Officials to Account
In order to successfully wage war against the threat of global warming, we need both lifestyle and massive policy changes. As voters we have power to hold our elected leaders to account on the policies that can make or break this effort. All it takes is twenty people– that’s right, twenty– writing letters and making calls to get politicians’ attention! So use your voice.
We have a presidential election coming up, and this is a chance to have your vote make a big difference. And state and local officials vote on policies that affect our global warming policy, too. What kind of policies are we talking about? Learn more about the hot policy issues.
May 1, 2008
Fierce Love Protects
We are CEOs, clergy, stay-at-home moms, investment bankers, young professionals, entrepeneurs, future parents, teachers, men and women. We are using our spheres of influence to make our voices heard. We are on a mission to save our planet for the sake of our children, for tomorrow’s children.
To learn more about what Dr. Sarah can do for you and join this growing movement, please sign up for our mailing list.
April 30, 2008
