CA Burns…My Sister’s Family Evacuates

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

I’ve been scared this week. Really scared. My sister and her husband along with their two young kids— my sons’ cousins— live near Ventura, California. This week, they evacuated from the home they’d only recently moved to from the east coast.

I’m grateful that my sister is a pretty cautious person. I doubt that she and her family will move back home before the danger from the fires has passed. This time.

But I’m worried for their future. For their safety.

Last night I heard a firefighter on the radio say there doesn’t seem to be a fire “season” anymore in California. Now, any time of year, dangerous fires can rage. What used to apply no longer holds. This is what I call “global weirdness.”

With the changes in our climate— among other factors— fires have been increasing, in California and elsewhere

My sister— and her husband, and my niece and nephew — have been lucky, all things considered. So far. They haven’t lost their house.

Many others have not been so lucky. They’ve lost their baby’s photo albums, their pets, their grandmother’s wedding dress. To say these losses are stressful is an understatement.  Losing a home makes us feel unmoored.

These fires deepen my commitment to do everything I can to minimize the eco impact of our family’s lifestyle, and to keep using my voice as often as I can. I will continue to use my voice as a voter.  And even though the personal and professional demands on my time have been impossible lately, I’ve rededicated to blogging here, using my spheres of influence.

I love my kids fiercely and I want the best possible future for them. For their cousins. For all the kids, near and far, who shouldn’t have to worry that they might lose their homes to floods, or fires. My wish for all children– here and around the world, is for them to have homes where they can feel like they have their mooring spot.

When Eco Mission Clashes with Eco Reality: The SilverLeaf Chronicles 11 “

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

“I hope you’re getting a fuel efficient car,” says my fourteen year-old when I tell him that the car I’m about to buy the car that will become his when he goes to college. In fact, I bought a hybrid Honda Accord to replace the all-electric SilverLEAF. It meets my son’s criteria. As my ex says, “He’s your son!” It’s a smiling mom moment.

With some remorse, we leave the small but growing “club” of owners of all-electric cars. My regret is that even though I’m deeply committed to living as “green” as possible, I couldn’t make our lives work with a limited battery range. And charge time. For me as a single parent with one car, it was a source of stress that could be eliminated from an impossibly complicated life.

I live in the vise grip of the sandwich generation. An aging mother for whom I have increasing responsibilities, whose other child lives 2000 miles away. Two “tweens,” both with special needs. I’m a self-employed single mom. I juggle more plates than I can, imperfectly.

I really wanted to make it work with an all-electric car. Before I leased the NissanLEAF, I’d been saying in this blog and elsewhere— “I’m going to get the greenest car I can afford.”

Well, I’ve revised that. Now I’m saying, “I’m getting the greenest car I can afford that fits my overly complicated life.”

The NissanLEAF is really affordable. You can lease one for as little as about $200 a month. It costs next to nothing to charge ($10 per month for us in our geographic location, driving about 8000 miles a year). There’s pretty much no maintenance. It emits no global warming pollution.

But, I had to ask myself “What amount of money would make it worth the stress of worrying about running out of battery charge.” I realized the answer was: “No amount of money.” I had to follow my own advice as a psychologist: “Eliminate the stress you can, so you can better manage the stress that you can’t eliminate.”

I got spoiled by the low cost of the SilverLEAF. It’s going to be an adjustment to think about gas prices, and not-insignificant annual maintenance costs. I will not feel good about burning fossil fuels again, and generating global warming pollution as I drive. I will miss waving to other drivers of the NissanLEAF and enjoying that sense of fellowship.

But… there’s reality. Or what I call “eco reality.” Each of our lives has constraints. When we make decisions about how to balance our various responsibilities and lifestyle choices, we get to factor in the realities of our lives.

I will keep blogging, of course, about the challenges and rewards of living an eco-friendly life— including the decision to buy the specific hybrid we chose— in an era when the policies that have brought us clean air and clean water are in the path of a massive wrecking ball. A reckless wrecking ball.

I’ll continue to share stories of our family’s efforts to live “green” and I’ll keep touting the rewards of speaking out to our elected officials on climate policy, one of the most effective and empowering actions we can take, as I’ve discovered from my own experience.

In the wake of our President’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, you will hear more from me about ways that we can answer the call to local action when our national leadership is failing our children. The SilverLEAF Chronicles blog thread will be no more, but this mother who loves her children fiercely remains fired up. And so this blog will carry on, as I continue to use my spheres of influence, and seek to empower others to reap the rewards of using their spheres of influence to ensure our children a world in which they can thrive.

Love, Responsibility and Voting

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

Since I realized in the summer of 2006 that global warming posed a threat to my children’s — all childrens’ — health and well-being, one of my most rewarding discoveries has been that our voices and votes really matter to our elected officials. This has been the most transformative aspect of becoming an unlikely environmentalist.

propublica.org

To recycle, or to vote, that is the question

I’d thought that we just needed to make “green” lifestyle changes, like recycling. I’m still a committed recycler, I do buy organic produce, and of course, I drive an all-electric car, AKA TheSilverLEAF, whose adventures are chronicled here.

Over time I came to appreciate that the scale and urgency of the climate crisis is so great that the only way to effectively tackle the problem is to change our polices. Our elected officials make those policies that will make or break the effort to ensure our kids a viable future.

I’ve always voted, but that new-found understanding of the key role of policy reform led me to meet with elected officials, to talk about the urgency of the climate crisis, and its implications for our children.

What I now believe is that it’s far more important to vote (and easier!) than to recycle.

Even one voice counts

Here’s what I’ve discovered about the power of our voices as voters.

For the Spheres of Influence Virtual Roundtable, I interviewed a former legislative assistant to a state Senator who told me that five or six voters speaking out on an issue is often a significant number for many elected officials. Just five or six constituents? That’s you and a few members of your extended family, or a few of your friends, or some moms from your kids’ school. I thought our votes were just grains in the sand.

The former legislative assistant also shared her observation that just one voter’s story— if it’s a compelling story— can tip an elected official’s vote. One person’s story.

My unexpected encounter with then-Senator Obama’s office

Understanding the importance of policy— and advocating for policy change— also led to my most powerful experience on my path as an unlikely environmentalist.

I’d never written a letter to an elected official before. But global warming— and my love for my kids— gave me a reason to write to then-Senator Obama when he represented Illinois.

I got a phone call from his environmental legislative assistant. We had several conversations. I was amazed. It was perhaps the most empowering moment in my life.

To Vote, or not to Vote?

Lots of people aren’t excited about our presidential candidates in this acrimonious election. Some are thinking about sitting this one out.

However, there is a great deal at stake in this particular election. Many climate experts see this election cycle as our last chance to avert the worst possible impacts of unchecked global warming.

If you don’t want your kids and grandkids to be suffering from ravages of wild fires and floods, food shortages, droughts, numerous wars over increasingly scarce survival resources such as water, and new diseases we’ve never heard of… vote your eco conscience. Even if it’s an unenthusiastic vote, it’s a vote that matters to your kids’ future.

Love and responsibility

I’m a self-employed, divorced parent with two special needs kids. I don’t have time to run around being an advocate.

But I’ve made time. Because I love my two tween boys, fiercely.

Talking to our elected officials is an act of parental responsibility. Voting is an act of love.

 

 

The VW Betrayal: The SilverLEAF Chronicles 7

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

“I feel tainted” says my beau, who owns a VW diesel Golf. He’d been proud to drive that car. He enjoyed it’s sportiness, but appreciated its (promised) clean-burning engine.

He bought the car shortly before he and I got involved. His pride in the green-ness of the car increased when he got involved with me– my passionate investment in reducing our collective ecological impact for the sake of our children has rubbed off on him a bit.

Now, my beau does not anger easily. In fact, he’s an exceptionally even-tempered person. And he’s not obsessed with all-things-environmental– unlike me!

But he feels that he’s now branded by his polluting car as someone who doesn’t care about the ecological impact of his car.

Millions of VW diesels have been sold around the world to unsuspecting people. Some of them– not all– cared a lot about the purported low emissions of their cars.

It’s about excess global warming pollution, and immediate harm to our health as well. An AP study estimated that as many as 94 people in the US alone may have died in the last 7 years as a result of the VW excess emissions. In Europe, where most of the diesels have been sold, the health impacts and deaths are estimated to be greater because of the greater population density. Our health has been damaged.

More than once since the VW fraud story broke, I’ve been glad that I drive a car for which the emissions can’t be faked– because there are no emissions.

I don’t feel branded as a polluter when I drive TheSilverLEAF. But it’s not fair to VW diesel drivers that they should be tarnished.

The Volkswagen betrayal goes beyond deceiving car buyers– and the EPA. It’s a betrayal of our social contract to protect the natural world so that future generations can thrive. Our children have been betrayed.

Climate Change Prompts Transdisciplinary Curriculum & Cross-School Collaboration

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

The essential question posed in our Summer 2015 virtual fireside chat was Does climate change “change everything” in higher education and beyond? The answer, from various vantage points, was a resounding “Yes.”

We had a far ranging conversation that even touched upon the profound reality that climate change  changes our sense of time.

Professor Richard Rood set the stage for the conversation. Professor Rood, a climate scientist at University of Michigan who teaches multidisciplinary courses on climate impacts and adaptation, painted a picture of a world in which we are not only seeing droughts and extreme weather events, but severe wild fires in unlikely spots such as Alaska.

Professor Nancy Tuchman, founding Director of Loyola University’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability in Chicago, reminded us that climate change threatens the security and stability of our food system as well– a reality, I would add, that is likely to touch all of our lives to varying degrees, particularly those living in poverty.

Climate change represents not just a threat but an opportunity for new models for innovation and collaboration, however. Professor Tuchman shared the story of how a student-driven enterprise at Loyola to reduce food waste and fossil fuel use has led to Loyola working with other schools, such as Northwestern University and University of Illinois-Chicago, to use waste grease from their kitchens to run campus buses. Such projects not only reduce climate impacts and afford hands-on learning for students, but forge new alliances that can wield more effective levers for necessary collective change to tackle climate change. The sphere of influence of each institution expands by virtue of such collaborations.

Professor Joel Towers, Executive Dean of the Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York, spoke to meta-level effects on our sense of place and time. As a psychologist, I was particularly struck by his remarks about our sense of time being disrupted when what have historically been “100 year storms” become frequent occurrences. Climate change can disorient us.

Professor Towers remarked upon how the urgency of climate change is driving Parsons to a transdisciplinary approach to pedagogy, again underscoring how climate change can crack open new possibilities that may yield benefits beyond environmental sustainability.

Listen here to the conversation among these thoughtful experts about what I call the need to prepare the next generation to work, live and lead in a hot, crowded world:

https://ecoactionplan.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/doesclimatechangechangeeverythingsummer2015.mp3

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainability in Higher Education: Necessity… or Cult?

Contributed by Richard Rood, PhD

I recently attended a webinar, organized by Spheres of Influence (http://ourspheresofinfluence.com/ ), on the emergence of sustainability as a course of study. The webinar had a special focus on The New School (http://www.newschool.edu/ ) which has recently gone beyond divestiture to embed climate change into its entire curriculum. The New School is at the forefront of sustainability which fits into its vision (http://www.newschool.edu/mission-vision/ ) “where design and social research drive approaches to studying issues of our time, such as democracy, urbanization, technological change, economic empowerment, sustainability, migration, and globalization.”

Sustainability is a young and changing field of research and education. Sustainability is not as easy to define as, say, physics, chemistry, biology, economics, or urban planning. The Graham Sustainability Institute (http://graham.umich.edu/ ) at the University of Michigan, answers the question “What is Sustainability?” (http://graham.umich.edu/about/sustainability ) as, “Sustainability encompasses solutions-driven scholarship and practice that seeks to safeguard the planet’s life-support systems and enhance quality of life for present and future generations. The field is defined by the problems it addresses rather than the disciplines it employs. It draws from multiple disciplines of the natural, social, engineering, design, and health sciences; from the professions and humanities; and from practical field experience in business, government, and civil society.”

The incorporation of sustainability into university research and education is not without controversy. In a recent blog on universities divesting their endowments and pension funds from fossil fuel companies (http://www.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/comment.html?entrynum=333 ), one of the articles I referred to was by George Will (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sustainability-gone-mad/2015/04/15/f4331bd2-e2da-11e4-905f-cc896d379a32_story.html ) in which Will takes the position that divestment is sustainability gone wild. Will states that sustainability is like a religion with, for example, its premises “more assumed than demonstrated.” He further argues that “weighing the costs of obedience to sustainability’s commandments is considered unworthy.” Will is riffing off of the more than 250 page document by the National Association of Scholars (http://www.nas.org ) entitled, Sustainability: Higher Education’s New Fundamentalism (http://www.nas.org/articles/sustainability_higher_educations_new_fundamentalism1 ).

The National Association of Scholars “is a network of scholars and citizens united by our commitment to academic freedom, disinterested scholarship, and excellence in American higher education.” The National Association of Scholars was founded in 1987 by Stephen Balch, who is identified as an American conservative scholar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Balch ). The National Association of Scholars should not be confused with National Academy of Sciences (http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/mission/ ), which is the abbreviation I associate with “NAS.”

The material I reference above strongly links sustainability and climate change, and, ultimately, takes the position that universities are taking unfounded positions based on “unresolved scientific debates.” There is suggestion that faculty are pressured “to imbed sustainability into the curricula of unrelated courses.” The document relies, sometimes deftly, on the rhetorical forms (http://www.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/comment.html?entrynum=222 ) that are used to nurture doubt.

These writings from George Will and National Association of Scholars pose sustainability as political or ideological. There is the suggestion in these writings of a cultish march towards sustainability across the university community, and that divestment of fossil fuels is part of that cult.

Universities and the members of the faculty at universities are not homogeneous bodies of institutions and individuals. As stated in my divestment blog (http://www.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/comment.html?entrynum=333 ), my faculty colleagues don’t all support divestment. In fact, based on the Figure below, I would conjecture that more universities have denied efforts to divest than have approved them.

Figure 1: More than $50B in divestment pledges has come from 28 universities, 41 cities, 72 religious institutions, 30 foundations and hundreds of individuals. The New School is committed to divestment. (Credit: Paul Horn/InsideClimate News)

Similarly, there is a wide range of opinions on sustainability and the integration of sustainability into curriculum. In science departments, there is often the opinion that sustainability is notional, and not easily defined nor easily measured; hence, it is not science. It is also true that sustainability has far broader reach than climate change.

I was first introduced to sustainability as a subject of research and education when I started my academic career in 2005 at University of Michigan. At University of Michigan, we have the Erb Institute (http://erb.umich.edu/ ) which is “Creating a Sustainable World Through the Power of Business,” the Center for Sustainable Systems (http://css.snre.umich.edu/ ), which supports “the design, assessment, and management of systems that meet societal needs in a more sustainable manner,” and the Graham Sustainability Institute (http://graham.umich.edu/ ), which fosters “sustainability at all scales by leading stakeholder-centric activities that systematically integrate talents across all U-M schools, colleges, and units.” All of these institutes have strong relationships with donors who have high success in business. Their donations paint the picture of individuals, families, and businesses that recognize the importance of sustainability to assure future societal and business success. (Disclosure: I work closely with the Graham Sustainability Institute (http://graham.umich.edu/ ), and I am a Dow Sustainability Distinguished Faculty Fellow (http://sustainability.umich.edu/dow ).)

One of the points from the Spring, 2015 Spheres of Influence webinar (http://ourspheresofinfluence.com/2015/04/29/curriculum-transformation-for-climate-a-grass-tops-story-of-change-at-the-new-school/ ) is that sustainability is emerging, and that standards and practices are maturing. Sustainability studies and education are no longer only for the early adopters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_adopter ). For those interested in the incorporation of sustainability into education, there a number of resources, including Sustainability Improves Student Learning (http://serc.carleton.edu/sisl/index.html ), a group that includes associations of physics, chemistry, biology, and geosciences.

Adding the concept of sustainability to problem-solving requires that we think about where our resources come from and what happens to our waste. It brings into consideration the energy required to obtain resources, manufacture, and dispose of and manage the waste products. The value of the environment and ecological systems is brought into the calculation of cost. It’s true that there is nothing in that list that is an easy calculation, and there are many aspects of sustainability that are not uniquely and definitively quantified; there are value judgments made by individuals, governments, advocacy organizations, and corporations.

Since sustainability crosses many disciplines, it is, in fact, quite difficult to bring into the discipline-focused culture of universities. It brings a focus to problem- solving and participatory, deliberative process. There is a high demand from students, who increasingly see the requirement to manage our resources and wastes in order to thrive. Sustainability is an essential topic of research and education; it is something that we must learn to do right.

About the author

Professor Richard Rood is a climate scientist who teaches multidisciplinary graduate and undergraduate courses at University of Michigan. He is a Dow Sustainability Distinguished Faculty Fellow. Prior to his teaching career, he served as a scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A climate-science communicator, he uses his spheres of influence by reaching a wide lay audience by blogging about climate change for the WeatherUnderground (http://www.wunderground.com/blog/rickyrood/article.html )

Curriculum Transformation for Climate: A “Grass Tops” Story of Change at The New School

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

In our Spring 2015 Spheres of Influence Virtual Fireside Chat, we heard the story of how students at the New School in New York City used their voices to move the leadership of the university not only to divest from fossil fuels, but to commit to embedding climate change in entire curriculum. And, the leadership has gone still further by determining to create an entire campus– from students to staff to faculty– of “climate citizens” who will be required to make climate commitments.

Michelle DePass, Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at the New School shared the back story and some of the challenges they’ve faced in this transformation, while Dr. Debra Rowe, Founder of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, offered context related to sustainability curriculum in higher education.

Listen here to Michelle DePass share this powerful “grass tops” story of curricular and culture transformation, and to Debra Rowe share insights and resources for joining the growing movement of educators creating curricula for sustainability:

The SilverLeaf Navigates Its First Winter… And Copes with “Range Anxiety”: TheSilverLeaf Chronicles 4

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

It’s been a cold winter in Chicago. And electric cars are known to have less battery range in cold weather. Creating “range anxiety.” The SilverLeaf has been tested.

Lake Michigan, March 2015

Just how severely has my NissanLEAF been tested in its first winter?

Let’s just say it hasn’t been this cold in February in nearly 140 years– going back to 1875. The average temperature in February, 2015 was a painful 14.6 degrees. There were days with wind chills of 30 degrees below– eye-ball-hurting-cold. Beautiful, but cold.

How has The SilverLeaf fared on this test? Not badly.

I’ve charged the car pretty much every chance I could. I plug in every night at home (instead of every 2-3 nights in warmer weather), and at the office where I work downtown three days a week, where I park in a lot where I can plug into one of the numerous outlets on the wall. I even charged at a ChargePoint station — for a couple of bucks– at Walgreen’s when I went in for an urgent care appointment– I’d never used a public charging station while running errands before.

I use the heat judiciously because the heater drains the battery.  On milder winter days–especially if the sun is beating down into the car– I’ll turn the heat off for a bit after I’ve warmed the car up.  I use the heated seat all the time and the heated steering wheel– which is quite nice.

We’ve had quite a bit of snow– not like the 9 feet of snow they got in my native Boston– but we’ve had some blizzards. The car held the road quite well. It got stuck on top of a pile of snow in the alley, but that had to do with the pile of snow, not the design of the car.

So The SilverLeaf has done quite well. I’ve had a bit more “range anxiety” than in the summer. (Can you tell I like using “range anxiety?” It’s the psychologist in me!) But all I’ve had to do is be more vigilant about charging.

Yes, it’s been a really cold, icy, snowy winter in much of the US. But lest we forget about the poorly-named problem of global warming– global temperatures are on average still rising at a very concerning rate. The thing is that we don’t just get warm weather, we get weird weather– like 20 inches of snow in Kentucky– which is why I call it “global weirdness.” And why I drive an all-electric car.  Because I love my kids. And I feel a moral obligation to the children of the world to do my part to tackle global weirdness– cold winters, heightened “range anxiety” and all.

My Love Affair with the Nissan Leaf: The SilverLeaf Chronicles: I

Contributed by Dr. Sarah

My love affair with the Nissan Leaf began a year ago.

A month ago, I became the delighted owner of a Leaf that I’ve named “The Silver Leaf.” Hence the “SilverLeaf Chronicles.” Of which this is the first installment.

But perhaps I should say my love affair with the all-electric zero emissions Nissan Leaf really begins with my love for my kids. I became what I call an “unlikely environmentalist” when I realized that global warming poses a threat to my children’s health and well-being. When I understood that our addiction to coal and oil and gas was contributing to dangerous weather events and bringing tropical diseases to North America, I started down the Fierce Love path to protecting the planet for my kids– for all the kids we love fiercely.

Which brings me back to the Nissan Leaf. And the expected and unexpected delights of joining the community of electric car owners.

A year ago, my 9-year-old son– aka The DudeSter– was playing with a boy whose mom rolled up in a Nissan Leaf. She happens to be a very health-conscious family doctor.  We talked about how the Leaf– not their minivan– serves as the primary car for their family with three kids.  Ok, this can work as a family car.

I knew my car needed to be replaced. And I knew I was going to replace it with the greenest car I could. And it needed to work as a family car because I have two growing (READ: fast growing!) boys.

Meanwhile, my beau’s brother got a Leaf that they use as a family car with their two kids. He’s a geeky Silicon Valley entrepreneur. He crunches the numbers. He persuaded me that not only can this work as a family car, but leasing can be be affordable– and a way to keep moving up with fast-paced advances in green car technology.

I test drove a Prius, and hated the way it handled. I knew my brother, who’s driven a Prius for a handful of years, didn’t think they were safe with pedestrians because of the blocked vision for drivers and the lack of engine sound to cue pedestrians that a car is present. Plus, hybrids run not just on batteries but on gasoline (READ: global warming pollution).

So… I went to the Autobarn in Evanston IL, test drove the Leaf with Martin the sales guy who loves the Leaf he owns– and signed a three year lease.

Now, I drive the SilverLeaf. A really well-designed affordable family car that doesn’t need gasoline. Ever.  I drive guilt free.

And what’s really cool– and unexpected– is I’ve joined a small but growing community of electric car drivers. We find each other and bond. It’s a great, fun social perk. Who knew?

Wanna join us in going green and getting happy? Follow me on Twitter @drsarahsviews as I chronicle our family’s journey through life in and out of the SilverLeaf!

This is Why I’m Working to Protect the Planet…

Contributed by Dr. Sarah Warren

“One question I often thought about while writing this book was where you should live in the future in order to stay safe… look for a place that has a secure water supply, a stable government, and a vibrant community—a place where people know how to work with their hands, where they look out for one another…That’s going to be your surest protection if things get difficult in the years ahead.”

When I saw this quote from Mark Hertsgaard’s letter to his 5 year old daughter, Chiara, in his recent book Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, a rush parental love washed over me and up and through me, the love that initially propelled me to use my psychological expertise to protect the planet for the sake of my two young boys, for the sake of all children.

The quote was included in an email from Eban Goodstein who directs the Bard College Center for Environmental Policy and has recently launched the youth leadership program C2C (http://www.bard.edu/cep/c2c/). When I read the quote I got choked up, which I’m not prone to doing.

Because a hot world is not going to be like a vacation in Cancun. It’s going to be full of challenges. Really tough challenges that frankly I find hard to contemplate as a parent.

And those challenges are directly attributable to our addiction to oil, to our tailpipes and smokestacks, to the policies that we allow our elected officials to enact that perpetuate our downward spiral into the unintended consequences of our addiction.

And I was reminded why I was called to action– personal, parental, and professional– to inspire others to use their spheres of influence so that our kids can have the best future possible.

Thank you Mark Hertsgaard, for reminding me. For reminding all of us who are parents, who are aunts and uncles and grandparents, who will be parents in the future…

Because this is about our kids’ future… Because we have exactly enough time, starting now.

Unplugged, Part II: The Planes, Cars & Boats of our Green-ish Vacation

Contributed by Dr. Sarah Warren

Let’s talk about planes, cars and boats, shall we?

In Part I of this blog thread, I talked about how our family benefits from unplugging on an island with no electricity, running water or Internet– a pretty low eco impact vacation. In this installment, I talk about the eco impact of getting to and from our pristine little island in Maine with a 6 year-old DudeSter and an 8 year-old HamSter.   And to foreshadow– In my third and  final post about our “green-ish” vacation, I’ll talk about what makes it green-ish, above and beyond the obvious lack of electricity.

First, in case you missed the photo in my previous blog post on why we subject ourselves to the deprivations of this island, here is another photo to give you a sense:

Now on to those planes, cars and boats…

All of our dominant modes of transportation have some form of impact on the environment, mostly from the fossil fuels they burn, and the heat-trapping emissions they kick into our atmosphere.

I wanted to know just what that impact was. So…

I calculated just how many polluting emissions we generated.

According to infoplease.com, the kids and I flew 851 miles each way from Chicago to Boston.

Using Bonneville Environmental Foundations’s carbon footprint calculator (b-e-f.org/carbon/calc/), I find that our flight generated 1331 pounds of C02 per person– our most common form of heat-trapping pollution.

We drove around the Boston area for a couple of days before we went up to the Sebago Lake region in ME, including a visit to my sister’s for a pre-island visit with the cousins. And our drive to and from Redbones Restaurant (redbones.com) in Somerville, MA (a tasty jumping off point!) to the island in Maine? 210 miles roundtrip.

I’m adding a few miles for getting lost en route from Redbones to the airport (so tasty we had to stop on the way back.)  We had a very stressful dash to the airport when I missed the turn, in a very Boston driving experience, out of Sumner tunnel! Thankfully, the dudes in the backseat were oblivious to my stress as the driver– lost in Boston with a flight to catch!

So I’m using 300 miles as a pretty close estimate of our driving miles.

We were driving around in a Mitsubishi Endeavor, a large rented SUV– just what the rental car company had that was big enough for us and our stuff. Not a clean- burning hybrid, and not the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road! I estimate that we got 21 MPG on the highway, which was the majority of our driving.

The driving added 281 pounds of C02 emissions to our trip’s eco impact.

About the boats part of the equation. The skiff that we ride from the shore to the island? Well, I’m not counting that 10 minute boat ride because Bonneville’s carbon footprint calculator doesn’t include boats (and I’ve not seen one that does). I’m pretty sure the impact of that short boat ride is below the threshold of the carbon calculator– but I do want to say that the two-stroke motors that power many smaller power boats are not only very leaky but very inefficient. Not eco friendly!

So even when we take vacations that seem like they shouldn’t have much eco impact– like a camping trip, say– we still might want to consider the impact of getting to and from our destination.

In order to compensate for– oroffset — our eco impact, I’m buying carbon offsets from Bonneville Environmental Foundation (b-e-f.org), which are green-e certified.

A quick explanation– Green-e (green-e.org) certified offsets (the only kind I recommend) ensure that for every unit of fossil fuel based energy you use, an equal amount of renewable energy is generated– hence the “offset” concept.  I buy from Bonneville because they are highly regarded in the industry.

The bottom line: The cost per person to buy 1612 pounds worth of credits towards renewable energy from Bonneville? A whopping $22 per person!

What are your eco travel stories? How do you assess your eco impact? What do you do to minimize or “offset” your eco impact? Post a comment! Share your story!

My open letter to Senator Mark Kirk

Contributed by Dr. Sarah Warren

Dear Senator Kirk,

As the founder of Spheres of Influence, I am writing to welcome you to the US Senate.

I am one of many health care professionals and parents– many of whom, like me, are “unlikely environmentalists”– who are profoundly concerned about how the emissions from our tailpipes and smokestacks threaten our children’s health and quality of life– now and in the future.

We are already experiencing the consequences of our addiction to coal and oil — from canceled flights and giant potholes to longer cold and flu seasons to the Cubs being flooded out. We are experiencing bizarre weather — mudslides and frozen crops in CA, snow storms in DC, and thundersnow– normally a rare event– in numerous places around the country this winter. Yesterday, April 5, 2011 broke records for severe weather nationally: a record 1,210 severe weather reports were received including 23 tornadoes, 887 wind, and 300 hail reports (http://ow.ly/4xex3). According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, severe flooding in 2008 alone cost Illinois and Iowa farmers billions in lost revenues (http://ow.ly/4u3tm). The snow storm – or perhaps I should call it the hurricane with snow– that shut down Lake Shore Drive this winter… This is what I call “global weirdness.” It’s here, it’s now. And it impacts our health because, among other things, it creates high levels of stress.

We now have models that can determine how much our use of fossil fuels contributes to a given extreme weather event. MacArthur Foundation grantee Dr. Ben Santer has developed an attribution method which is described here: http://ow.ly/4u3v2. If you’ve not seen this video, I invite you to watch as Dr. Santer explains how they calculate the impacts of C02 emissions on specific extreme weather events http://ow.ly/4u3wY.

Both businesses and our health are impacted not just by costly weather disruptions but by the “pickling” effects of our emissions. Our increasingly acidic ocean is already impacting the entire ocean food chain, from plankton to lobsters to whales. The seafood industry is imperiled, as are related industries such as restaurants. If we keep moving on the same trajectory, this means that moms may not be able to feed their kids tuna sandwiches, Shaw’s may not be able to serve crab, and McDonald’s won’t be able to serve fish sandwiches. As a healthcare professional, I anticipate not just the loss of a way of life and loss of business opportunity, but the loss a whole class of food that is beneficial to our health– our brain function and our heart health. I am not alone in wanting to ensure that our sons and daughters can eat salmon and see whales in the ocean. The beautiful film A Sea Change (http://www.aseachange.net/) tells the story as a love letter to the filmmaker’s grandson.

The policy solution translates into incentivizing clean renewable energy and no longer subsidizing fossil fuels.

It also means….

… shutting down or cleaning up polluting coal plants that are so prevalent in Illinois.

… not approving new coal plants.

… improving our transportation infrastructure so that we are less reliant on cars.

… aggressively continuing to raise fuel efficiency standards, including for trucks.

… ensuring that the Clean Air Act, which has protected our health for decades, is not gutted.

… emulating the New England states which have been successfully implementing new energy standards.

… ensuring that the EPA is empowered to protect families from environmental harms such as the impacts of C02 emissions.

… shifting off ethanol which is only 2% more efficient than gasoline.

… factoring in the hidden costs of coal– including the loss of miners’ lives and the health care costs of asthma and other respiratory conditions to the residents– especially the young– near the coal-fired power plants in Chicago and elsewhere.

According to Mark Hertsgaard, author of Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, the pollution from our addiction to fossil fuels has already raised global temperatures and will have inevitable impacts– for Illinois, that means more heat waves and severe storms. So we need to follow the lead of the Department of Defense and our own City of Chicago in preparing statewide and nationally. As a practicing psychologist, I can say that one key area of need is improvement of delivery of mental health services for residents who are acutely stressed by extreme weather events. In addition, we need to improve telehealth delivery because extreme weather events can impede travel to health care delivery sites.

Our children’s health is threatened not just by heat waves soot from coal plants but by wars that loom on the horizon, not just over oil but over water. I don’t want my two young rascals drafted into wars over oil and water. I am completely certain that I am not alone in that.

You voted for Cap and Trade legislation in 2009 when you were in Congress– but have waffled since then.

We can sidestep ideological debate– in fact, we must. This is not just a bipartisan issue, this is a human health crisis, a business opportunity, a moral imperative, a national security threat, and a legacy opportunity to do right by our children and grandchildren. My legacy– and yours– is at stake.

The parents and business owners of Illinois are counting on you to protect our national security, the integrity of our food supply, our business interests– and critically, our children’s health.

Your spheres of influence as a US Senator are considerable, and vital to our children’s future. I look forward to constructive dialogue on these crucial and urgent matters.

I am meeting with your legislative assistant, Robert Johnson, in the District this month, and look forward to meeting with you when you are in the District.

I look forward to a fruitful relationship with you.

Our children are counting on you. Because we have exactly enough time– starting now.

Respectfully Yours,

Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D.

Founder, Spheres of Influence

http://www.ourspheresofinfluence.com

Struggles with Earth Hour

by Dr. Sarah Warren

My primary eco concern  is the impact of our addiction to fossil fuels on the health and well-being of our children– because I love my children fiercely. That driving concern, in fact,  led me to use my psychological expertise to serve as a catalyst in protecting the planet for future generations. And has led me to try to live my eco values with my two young dudes. Try is the operative word.

So of course Earth Hour (http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx), organized by the World Wildlife Fund (wwf.org),  appeals to my interest in raising awareness of our dependence on polluting energy that harms our children– now and in the future.

Last year during Earth Hour, we made it without the lights on for oh… about 20 minutes. The dudes found it intriguing and even exciting to use flashlights, but ultimately my then 7 year-old, aka The HamSter, found it too scary.  The lights went back on.

This year on March 26th, my dudes– now 8 and 6 years old– went down to my mom’s house for the evening.  We made it for … an  interesting 30  minutes.  So we joined millions of people in over a 130 countries for half the time…

We set out our flashlights.  My mom’s idea had been that we would only use the flashlights in an emergency. That was not an option.

The 6 year-old DudeSter asked me to snuggle. We turned off the lights and the dudes piled with me onto my mom’s bed. The dudes turned on a flashlight, made shadows with their hands, and then we each told a spooky story.

One of my observations: Having the lights out afforded the opportunity to bond in a way that we do when we take our annual extended family vacation on an island in Maine that does not have electricity. We slow down. We hang out with each other. We go to sleep earlier and rise with the sun.

Another observation: There’s a lot ambient light that comes into our homes from street lights and neighbors. Quite notable.

A final observation: Even the children of a committed eco parent, who fundamentally get the eco connections, get restless and nervous in the dark. And even committed eco moms cave in to the request to turn on the TV (which we don’t watch much normally!)

A final final observation: It was powerful to participate in a truly global event that has been growing each year since 2007, knowing that millions of people on every continent were part of this eco hour.

I invite you to join this growing movement of unlikely environmentalists by reducing the amount of pollution you send out your tailpipes and chimneys– and crucially, by using your spheres of influence as a consumer and most especially as a voter.

Because we have exactly enough time– starting now.

This Green Mom is Gonna VOTE Her Conscience!

Until can I realized that my young rascals’ health and well being was threatened by our planetary crisis, I was never an engaged voter. I was a detached middle of the road voter. I voted, but I didn’t do much homework other than grabbing a newspaper at the last minute to check the endorsements.

Now, I realize that if I want to ensure my kids a future in which they thrive– and don’t you too?– I need to use my voice and my vote to make sure that policies are put in place that protect the natural world that not only provides us beauty but literally allows us to eat and drink and survive. The natural world has limits– and we’ve engaged in practices and policies that have exceeded those limits.

Even though I think it’s important– and oh so cool– to use my travel mug and my reusable shopping bags– I know that my vote is really the way to ensure my kids a bright future.

What’s at stake for our kids?

Today I had a conversation with Marjorie, the mother of my son’s class mate Luke. She was saying she and her husband are looking at a future in which most of the world will be without water– and what that means for the civilization our kids will live in. It’s not cool at all. And buying local or putting our babies in organic cotton onesies won’t cut it. Helpful, but not sufficient.

Think about what’s at stake for your kids when the water supply of entire continents is lost to the permanent melting of the glaciers that provide them their water. How will people treat each other when their survival is threatened? What kinds of wars will be waged– with our children as combatants? I don’t know about you– but I don’t want my two young dudes to be drafted into wars over water.

Voting– and holding our elected officials to account– is where it’s at. The polices we do– or don’t– put in place will make or break the effort to respect the natural world. It’s about how efficient our cars are, whether we have mass transit, how we get our electricity– those kinds of local and national issues.

And it’s really empowering to become an engaged voter. I can attest to that.

Not sure who to vote for?

No worries! Some thorough folks have done the homework for you!

http://www.lcv.org/campaigns/endorsements/

Want to see the track record of incumbents?

Here you go!

http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/

It’s not about partisan politics– it’s about our kids

When I vote my conscience for the planet, I’m looking at who is going to best protect the natural world for my children and grandchildren– for all children. That’s the beginning, the middle, and the end.

Won’t you join me in voting for your kids’ future?

Because we have exactly enough time– starting now.

Inspired? Subscribe to my blog, and download chapters of my book Fierce Love: How One Mother Reinvented Herself by Saving the Planet (on the Fierce Love page on this site)

And I’d love to hear  comments– and your story!

Think You’re Green? Think Again… Then Take Action

If you’re like me, you’re doing some green stuff. You feed your kids organic milk. You recycle. Maybe you do a lot of green stuff. You’re doing your part, right?

Well, in Ecological Intelligence Daniel Goleman prompts us to think again about whether we’re doing what we really need to do. Action is imperative, but so is thinking. We need to act in a thoughtful, informed manner in order to have a real eco impact.

As a psychologist, environmentalist and concerned parent, I eagerly read the father of emotional and social intelligence’s contribution to the growing crop of books on the ecological impacts of our choices. In Ecological Intelligence, Daniel Goleman applies the same wisdom he displayed in Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence to what might be considered the most pressing issue of our time—the dire state of the natural world that nourishes and sustains us. The natural world that can afford our children a future in which our kids can thrive– if we act intelligently, or mindfully, now.

Daniel Goleman helps us understand our difficulty confronting hard truths about the state of our planet. He points to the need to stop telling ourselves comforting “vital lies” that mask hard truths. He nicely describes from an evolutionary and psychological standpoint why it is difficult—although not impossible– for us to register and therefore act on gradual threats such as the increases in temperature we are experiencing. I am highly informed, engaged, environmentally aware psychologist, and even I struggle sometimes to face the reality of the state of our natural world and the implications for our society—and our children’s lives.

He offers a wonderful of example of recycling as a vital lie that allows us to feel like we’re doing our part, when in fact we’re barely making a dent given the nature and scale of the problem of waste and contamination. Recycling is one of our favorite eco-actions— it’s a no brainer, right? Yet he suggests that until we have “total recycling” in which all the components of a product can be completely reused, we are simply lulling ourselves into thinking that we are doing enough when in fact we are doing very little of real environmental good. This kind of vital lie, he argues, “creates a collusion among us all not to look squarely at the hidden impacts of our choices.”

He makes a compelling argument for “radical transparency’ on the part of companies that would allow us to make fully informed choices about what we buy. Personally, I can’t wait til I no longer have to labor over questions like “Does this water bottle have toxic PBA that will leach into my kids’ water?”  To achieve radical transparency, however, will require us to use not just our wallets but our voices and votes to incentivize companies to reduce their impact on the natural world—and to tell us fully what they are doing.

My mission is about empowering people to take meaningful action to protect the planet for our children and grandchildren. Ecological intelligence is required of us if we are to protect the planet for those we love.

If you want to be a conscious consumer—or business leader or voter, for that matter—read this book, pause, reflect, pass it on to a friend, and use your spheres of influence to act in an ecologically intelligent manner– on the greatest scale possible.

While you’re at it– download the first two chapters of my book, Fierce Love: How One Mother Reinvented Herself by Saving the Planet, and you can too here.  And please post your valued comments!

Because we have exactly enough time– starting now.

You Can Help Me Fulfill My Mission as an Ambassador for Green

When I realized that our addiction to oil posed a threat to my children’s health and well being, I knew that in order to make the greatest impact I needed to use my psychological expertise in addictions and behavior change to tackle what many consider the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. (Hubris, I know!)

My mission as an “unlikely environmentalist” is to spread the word about the scale and urgency of our severe addiction to oil, the consequences of that addiction– and importantly–what we can do to ensure our children a world in which they can thrive. Because that’s what we want, right?

So, I’ve written a book which I’m just about to pitch. The title? Fierce Love: How One Mother Reivented Herself by Saving the Planet… and you can too!

The intended core audience? People who watch The View and Oprah, people who read Self magazine and shop at Target. People who LOVE their Starbucks. Maybe they shop at Whole Foods sometimes, maybe not. (That might not be you.)

My message is one of empowerment and personal transformation. The book is part memoir, part coaching book in the personal growth genre.

The single most important factor that publishers are looking for is a large and engaged audience. That’s you!

Getting a good book contract will help me expand my spheres of influence so that I can catalyze others to use their spheres of influence to protect the planet for our kids.  I’m asking you to jump through several virtual hoops– this is not about me, it’s about our precious natural world.

So here’s how you can help me fulfill my mission of protecting the planet for our children by enlisting the unenlisted: (Do this by September 1st and you’ll get a FREE copy of my reflections on Soul Survival!)

1. Subscribe to (and comment on!) my blog.  Comment on this post even! (I blog about being a divorced mom, about raising kids who love and respect the natural world, about how we can use our spheres of influence to protect the planet,  about the personal rewards of going green.)   (Sometimes the links don’t work in WordPress: www.ourspheresofinfluence.com)

2. Sign up for my mailing list to receive information about opportunities to make a difference to protect the planet–and what I call “Things I love.”   (If the link doesn’t work it’s here http://www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/webform.html)

3. Become a fan of my FaceBook Page! Or– if you like it, “Like it! Then please recommend it!  http://ow.ly/2qYNw

4. Follow on me on Twitter where I tweet about all kinds of cool green stuff– food, kids, cocktails, cool stuff, enoughness, using our voices.  http://twitter.com/drsarahwarren

5. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll find videos of fun Spheres of Influence eco events as well as short clips on how you can use your Spheres of Influence, and how to Go Green and Get Happy.  http://www.youtube.com/user/drsarahwarren

6. Download chapters of my book and post a comment on my Fierce Love page (complete with video!): https://ecoactionplan.wordpress.com/fierce-love-the-book/

7. If you support my mission, please spread the word and invite friends and family to do sign up as well! Tweet, email, Facebook message– whatever means you use to spread the word! Your children will thank you!

I’ve just asked you to take a lot of steps, I know. They all count– just like all us changing our lightbulbs counts!

Thank you for your time, your support, your interest and all that you’re doing to use your spheres of influence to protect the planet!

Remember if you act by September 1st, you’ll be rewarded with a free copy of my reflections on Soul Survival!

Because we have exactly enough time, starting now!

Why I’m Grateful for My Divorce… or Going Green & Getting Happy

In my first blog post, I promised to include excerpts from my book and offer suggestions on how to use your spheres of influence to protect the planet. I’m getting ready to find a publisher and would love your help building my list so that publishers know there is an audience for an inspiring eco-message that is intended to move people from awareness into action.

Well, here is the first excerpt from the draft of Fierce Love: How One Mother Reinvented Herself by Saving the Planet, followed by some thoughts on how you can make a difference.

Here goes, from the Preface:

I don’t wish divorce on anyone. Anyone. But in the summer of 2006, in the midst of a divorce with two little guys in diapers– really thanks to my divorce– I found a cause. And I will never be the same.

That day in June, sitting on the coach in the family room, I learned that our addiction to oil poses a serious threat to the health and well being of my children, now and in the future. Since that defining moment, I’ve decided to use my psychological expertise in behavior change and addictions to serve as a catalyst to protect the planet for my children — for all children.

I couldn’t see it at the time, but I now see that it’s no accident that my moment of awakening occurred while I was going through a divorce— with two toddlers in tow, no less. There rsugre things in my life, big things, over which I had little or no corol; the life that I had known was coming apart. In that state, a space cracked open in me that made me feel that I needed to control what I could in order to offer my children the best life possible under the circumstances. For the first time in my life, I really wanted, needed, to make a difference in the world. So into that space came… the problem of our planetary crisis.

Love motivated me not just to recycle – perhaps a little obsessively — but to speak out, to become an involved voter, and in spite of my natural reserve, to become a more public person. I have become what I call an “unlikely environmentalist.” And I’ve carved out a role as a catalyst for others to use their spheres of influence, however big or small. My life, my work, my world have changed. I’ve changed.

I hope you’ll join me in reaping the rewards of going green. It’s an adventure!

What can you do?

Here’s how you can use your spheres of influence and join the growing movement of unlikely environmentalists:

1. Reading the first two chapters and posting a comment on my website will help me with my mission enlist the unenlisted which will entail getting a contract with one of the big NY publishing houses. Your comment will help demonstrate that I have an engaged audience!

https://ecoactionplan.wordpress.com/fierce-love-the-book/ to download and comment.

Please share with friends if you like it! You’ll use your spheres of influence to help me use mine. Thanks!

2. Please subscribe to this blog. This, too, will help me show publishers that people want to hear what I have to say. Subscribe on the site on the right side: www.ourspheresofinfluence.com

3. Subscribe to mailing list!  This will also show publishers that people want to be inspired to protect the planet. (Can you tell I’m getting ready to pitch my book?) And you’ll stay informed about monthly podcasts, events and ways to make a difference!

4. Last but far from least: Call your Senator to ensure their support for passing and strengthening what is now called the American Power Act. This is the single most effective and empowering action you can take!

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Calling or snail-mailing is more effective than email. And it can take only a handful of constituents to sway an elected official. Your voice counts!

Not sure what to say? Check out www.1Sky.org for helpful pointers. If I can do this, you can too!

Join the Spheres of Influence Network

Do you want to make a meaningful difference to protect the planet– 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.

Spheres of Influence brings together likely and unlikely environmentalists, ordinary citizens and 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 US!  Join today at Member Registration. Join now and be enterted to win a copy of James Balog’s important and beautiful 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 state of the planet.

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

Spheres of Influencelaunched 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.

To Join: 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:

Tuesday, April  13th , 2010

6-7 pm-Eastern / 5:00-6:00 pm Central / 3:00-4:00 pm Pacific

Teleconference &  Virtual Roundtable: Renewable Energy: Possibility & Prosperity

Special Guest: Mark Townsend Cox, Founder of the New Energy Fund in NYC

Moderator: Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D.,  SpheresFounder

Mark Cox has a passionate, articulate vision of a path to a prosperous and sustainable future through renewable energy. He has a masterful ability to explain technical details to a nontechnical audience.

As always, select Spheres members will be invited to join the Virtual Roundtable. Non members are welcome to listen in.

April 22nd, 2010

5-7 PM

Tour of Academy for Global Citizenship

We’ll talk about how we need to prepare the next generation to work, live and lead in a very different world at this exciting new International Baccalaureate program in the Chicago Public Schools.

5-6 pm Earth Day Project with Students and Guests

6-7 pm Enjoy a glass of organic wine as we tour the school with Founder, Sarah Elizabeth Ippel.

Purchase tickets: http://ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/spheres/event.php

June 23rd, 2010

Members Only Invitation: VIP Reception for the Opening of the Field Museum’s Climate Change Exhibit.

Mingle with Trustees, Founders Circle and corporate sponsors, preview the exhibit and spread the word about the exhibit!

Recent Salon Events

April 13th. 2010
Virtual Roundtable Topic: Renewable Energy: Possibility and Prosperity

Special guest Mark Townsend Cox, Founder of the New Energy Fund

This podcast affords an opportunity not only for clean tech fans but for newbies to learn more about the possibilities inherent in renewable energy. Mark has a passionate vision for paving the way to a better world through renewable energy, and a fascinating story about why he wants to prevent future wars over oil in light of his experience as a young British soldier in the Falklands conflict over oil.

February 9th , 2010

Teleconference &  Virtual Roundtable Topic: Solar, Cycling & Schools: Raising Money for Solar Panels on Schools!

Special Guest: Joey Feinstein, Founder of ClimateCycle.org.

Moderator: Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder

In this roundtable we learned about the mission and genesis of  this exciting programwhich  raised $70,000 for solar panels on Chicago Public Schools on its first bike ride. This program is exciting in part because it can be scaled up– and we need to scale up our solutions to the climate crisis.

January 26th , 2010

Teleconference &  Virtual Roundtable: Forging a Corporate Coalation: Green SigmaTM

 Special Guest: Melissa O’Mara of IBM who is a Sustainability Leader (and Charter Spheres of Influence member). Melissa has been spearheading the new Green Sigma Coalition of corporations who have committed to reduce their environmental footprint, including energy and water.

Special Commentator: Prof. Klaus Weber of NU Kellogg whose research includes the relationship between sustainability and corporate culture change.

Moderator: Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder

Melissa O’Mara shared with us her story of evolving from sales into sustainability, and the genesis of IBM’s innovation GreenSigmaTM Coalition which brings corporations into collaboration in providing sustainability services.

December 10th, 2009

Holiday Party Celebrating “Live & Give Green” at Healthy Green Goods in Evanston

We enjoyed organic wine and conversed  with special guests Jack Darin, Director of the Illinois Sierra Club and Cool Globes artist Andrea Harris.

We talked about how to “give” in nonmaterial ways, including using our voices! Dr. Sarah also recommended giving green-e certified carbon offsets and Water Restoration Credits, a new product from Bonneville Environmental Foundation (b-e-f.org).

Thank you to Mohawk Fine Papers for your generous sponsorship of this event!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Teleconference &  Virtual Roundtable: 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!

http://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.

February 5th, 2009

National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions

We joined Nora Dunn as “Pat Stevens” to talk about how we can use our voices and votes to combat climate change. We  laughed– and we learned.

January 14th, 2009

Teleconference & Virtual Round Table:
Assessing Corporate Sustainability
SPECIAL GUEST: Neal Levin, Founder of the SKAN Project.
MODERATOR: Sarah Warren, Ph.D., Salon Founder.

Download audio file.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

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 11^th 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.

To learn more about the benefits of membership, visit our member page. Questions? Email Dr. Sarah Warren at DrSarah@ourspheresofinfluence.com.

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.