My Open Letter to My Congressman #1: Please take a Leadership Role on the Climate Crisis

Dear Representative Hultgren,

As a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, I urge you to support a task force addressing the ongoing Climate Change crisis. As a parent, I am quite sure you share my concern for our children's future. We both want them to enjoy the best that Life can offer them. We both want them to be healthy, find love, and raise a family, find a calling and follow it truthfully. This we share, I know it. What we do not share - yet - is a concern for our climate's health. I hope to convince you of this crisis that is threatening our children's future starting with this letter.

A few years ago, when you first took office as representative of our District 14, I called and was given a 15 minute interview with you to discuss my concern about climate change. We met in your local district office one afternoon. I delivered a copy of an article from Forbes describing the economic disaster that awaits us if we do not address this crisis in a timely way and a DVD that I felt strongly put the case forward that the crisis is now and needs to be addressed immediately. I was warned by friends and family that it was a fool's errand and not to bother as you could not be swayed, that you were firmly in the 'denier camp'. I thought, and still do, that we are both humans on a journey. We both hope the best for our country, we both are parents. And given enough information, that you would eventually see the truth and choose to act to address this crisis as our District's representative, as you, above all others in our District, have the power to talk about this in Congress and on the national stage and affect the change that needs to happen. I am asking you to take the lead on this on your committee and in your caucus for all of our sakes.

I was initially saddened to receive your letter a month after we met, a form letter that thanked me in a generic way for the unnamed concern I expressed about an unnamed topic and made no mention of the articles I gave you for review or that we even met face to face. Having recently been inspired to pursue this cause again, I thought I would again try to convince you that you do indeed need to take a leadership role on this issue. For your review, I would like to direct your attention to the recent opinion piece written by four former EPA directors who served during the four past Republican administrations titled A Republican Case for Climate Action. (See enclosed)

I will also be chronicling what I hope to be a discussion with you on my blog Exploring the Green Road to give hope to others who are writing their Congressional representatives who are not now actively addressing this most important crisis of our lifetimes.

Sincerely,

Monica Jenkins
Constituent of District 14

Like to hear more about the Solar Roadways? Nominate Scott Brusaw for a TED Talk

Piggy-backing on a great suggestion by the Parking Matters blog, if you would like to hear more about the Solar Roadways project, please nominate Scott Brusaw for a TED talk HERE.

In 2010, Scott spoke at an independent TEDx event in Sacramento but his and Julie Brusaw's idea has evolved beyond the initial stages and the implications now have a global and extremely timely application given the current status of our climate. This idea truly deserves and needs a global spotlight. A TED talk would be a fantastic way to get the Brusaw's idea and the new parking lot prototype seen by thousands more people - possibly engaging the interest of an ideal financial partner for this important project

Earlier this summer, Scott spoke at Google's Solve for X:

• Modular road that works as smart grid
• By way of the cable corridor running parallel to the road, storm water runoff is captured, filtered and redirected back to the local aquifer.
• The cable corridor would also provide the interface between the road and the end user - power, data, electronics.
• Easy to repair as the panels communicate when there is a problem.
• The road pays for itself by the generation of electricity.
• Capable of static and dynamic charging - cars would eventually be able to charge as they move over the road.
• Applications: roads, bike paths, parking lots, sidewalks, airport taxiways/aprons, etc.
• Sustains a healthy economy AND a healthy environment. 
• "We can manufacture our way out of this mess" ~ Scott Brusaw

Scott and Julie Brusaw  (updates on the Solar Roadway project)

Climate Reality Leadership Corps: More on the Training and Presentations

The Chicago Area Climate Leadership Corps.
Photo taken August 1, 2013 by Franc Acevedo after the McCormick Place Training Event.

Earlier this month, I attended a training at McCormick Place. in Chicago, Illinois hosted by the Climate Reality Project. Along with 1300 people from 70 countries and all 50 states, I was trained to present the latest version of material that Al Gore has personally been presenting for the past 30+ years. We joined a group of 7000-strong volunteers who are presenting the material in variety of ways - presentations, letters to editors, blogs, articles, etc - all over the world.

I wrote of my Climate Reality Leadership Corps training earlier here (Myth Busting August 16, 2013) and will reiterate what I felt was the most important point again - Mr. Gore stressed that we only deliver the truth as we know it, in the spirit of Satyagraha, regarding what is happening with the climate. There are so many untruths being spread - the worst being that this is not a problem now, an idea largely promoted by those who are benefiting from this ignorance with profits from the fossil fuel industries and unfortunately there are far too many who still believe them.

This is a complex topic and there is no one person who can hold all the latest facts and figures in their heads. Even Mr. Gore gave his presentation with the assistance of two climate scientists who were adding deeper explanations of particular sections of material presented. Fortunately our goal is not to hold all the facts in our heads and spew them out at people. Our goal is to spread the word that this is happening, to tell the story of why this is important now, to point out who has been and who will be affected, and most importantly - to get people talking about this crisis and to stop ignoring it so We. Can. Address. This. Crisis. Ignoring it has cost us dearly and so much of what we love about our earth, the creatures who live here with us will pay for that silence with extinction. It is possible, if we act together now, future effects of climate change may be lessened.

I am speaking publicly at two events locally the last weekend in October. If you live in the Northern Illinois area, you are welcome to attend. There are a number of private events I will be speaking at and presenting this material. If you can't make the two public events and can't wait for the next public event I post here, invite me to speak to your group. I would prefer to present the material for 60 minutes and then follow with a question and answer period but that presentation time can be reduced to 30-45 minutes. The presentations contain climate change science facts as well as list possible solutions and actions individuals can take in their families and communities.

PLEASE NOTE: These presentations, given on a volunteer basis, are free of charge to the host organization. If there are traveling costs, the host may be asked to cover those expenses.

Friday, October 25, 7:00 p.m.Friday Focus: Climate Reality
Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva
2nd and James Streets, Geneva, Illinois 60134

Sunday, October 27, 1:00 p.m. Munch & Learn: Climate Reality 
(Please RSVP as lunch will be served)
Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva
2nd and James Streets, Geneva, Illinois 60134

If you would like to schedule a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps to speak to your group, you can find one here no matter where you live. Some of the volunteers provide discussion of the effect of climate change around a specific topic: healthcare, family, religion, business.

I started this blog in 2008 to discuss the Green Revolution I saw unfolding in front of me. I viewed it as one of the most creative and revolutionary things to happen to our civilization since the Industrial Revolution. I have restarted blogging here now as I see this revolution as a beacon of hope for our future. If you are interested in the larger ideas that may propel us forward into a new and better day, search this blog for 'Big Idea'. If you are looking for ideas on how you can change your lifestyle and revamp your spirit, search this blog for 'Things to Do'. As this blog grows, no doubt these will become their own sections - but for now a simple search should suffice.

Thank you most kindly for reading my words here. Never doubt though that you have a role to play in this great drama unfolding in front of us. You make a difference with each act you take, each choice you make - from the purchases you make at the store, to the car you drive (or choose not to drive), to the way you garden, to the way you spend your time.

The actions you choose send ripples out every day and 

those around you will benefit by your example... or not. 

You decide. 

One my favorite quotes from Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement.

“People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There is too much work to do.” 

Dorothy Day

Big Idea: Solar Roadways

 

This big idea gives me much hope for the future. It has sustained my optimism for a possible good outcome to this Climate Crisis since I first read of it in January 2011. Truly, this is something that would answer many problems associated with our climate crisis. It won't answer ALL our problems with carbon but it would significantly reduce our carbon output worldwide. The video above is being shown as a 'short' in cinemas across the United States this month. I am thrilled they are getting this much deserved exposure for their long years of work.

Their prototype parking lot is due to be finished sometime this fall. You can follow the progress of that and the overall project at their Facebook page: Solar Roadways.

Highlights: 

• Pays for itself
• Creates an infrastructure for electric vehicles
• "Will take 5 Billion panels to cover the roads in the United States. That's a lot of manufacturing. That's a lot of jobs."
• Reduces our dependence on petroleum to create asphalt
• Reduces need for combustion engines
• Reduces our dependence on oil to fuel cars, engines
• Provides an energy source to replace oil and coal
• Reduces our carbon output and will help slow Global Warming  
• Did I mention yet that it PAYS FOR ITSELF?

From the Solar Roadways FAQ page:

How much power can you expect to get out of a one-mile stretch of road?

One mile = 5280 feet. Our Solar Road Panels are 12' by 12'. Therefore, it will take 5280/12 = 440 panels to create one mile (one lane, 12 feet wide). Each panel is expected to produce 7600Wh of electricity daily based on 15% efficiency and four hours of sunlight per day (for more details, see the Numbers page).

440 times 7600Wh = 3.344MWhr per lane per mile. So a typical four lane highway will produce 13.376MWhr per mile, based on four hours of sunlight per day.

According to a 2007 study by the Energy Information Administration, the average American home used 936kWh per month. Dividing this number by 30 will give us an average need of 31.2kWh per day. Dividing this number into the 13.376MWhr per mile, gives us approximately 428. That's how many American homes can go "off-grid" for every mile of 4-lane Solar Roadway. We can wean ourselves off coal. Again, that's based on four hours of sunlight per day.

The TED Talk below tells more of their story and how this came about.

I will post more about this great project later this fall when the Phase II Prototype is complete. 

I am very grateful to the Brusaw's for their patience in getting this project off the ground and for their endurance in standing firm when many told them that their great idea could not be done. 

If you love this project too, they could always use more volunteers!

Scott and Julie Brusaw and the textured prototype glass.