June 4, 2009
10 Climate Change Actions I’d Like To See By Tomorrow
If you’ve spent any time on Facebook, MySpace or any other social network, you’ve seen them: memes, those strange hybrids of straw polls and unbidden confessions. “Top 10 Albums,” “10 Things You Should Know About Me,” and so on….
At UNFCCC events in Bali and Poznán, I learned how other countries are making quicker progress tackling sustainability at all levels. So, here’s a first meme on a relevant topic: what kind of action I want to see from the Obama Administration as soon as possible (tomorrow would be nice).
Save Energy
1. Smarter Weatherization: Require weatherization service contractors receiving ARRA funds to train staff on home energy efficiency. Boots on the ground should provide comprehensive efficiency tips to homeowners after they seal the cracks and add insulation.
2. Pay it forward: Accelerate use of smart meters and power management, but don’t pretend that information alone will reduce consumption. Budget for behavior change plans to make it popular to conserve.
3. Come together, save energy: Encourage utilities to work with industry to provide businesses and consumers with rebates for purchasing energy efficient equipment.
4. Reinvigorate recycling: Feds should prioritize byproduct synergy among manufacturers, restore U.S. recycling infrastructure with market development, and maximize federal recycled content procurement standards.
Save Water and Related Energy Use
5. A hand on the tap: Rapidly expand EPA WaterSense® product certification and consumer branding.
6. Less thirsty lawns: De-couple federal funding for state and local water infrastructure with increased demand. Reward utilities for reducing water waste from outdoor irrigation.
7. Create a Water Prize: Just like the “better battery idea,” offer cash incentives for the best breakthrough water-saving technology for agriculture and manufacturing.
Climate Adaptation
8. The future is now, at least a little: Create a task force for climate adaptation, to help U.S. cities plan and budget for extreme weather, coastal erosion, climate migrations, etc.
Transportation
9. Don’t buy, share: Boost bicycle and car-sharing programs in every major metropolitan city.
Consumer Protection
10. Squash greenwashing: FTC should stop stalling on revisions to green marketing standards. Put them out. Enforce them.
Some may believe climate change will be solved with passage of a cap-and-trade bill. It won’t. That said, respond to this meme or list yours in the comments – from the policy initiatives you’ve dreamt up, heard whispers about or seen on a random Web site.
Kevin Tuerff is CEO of Green Canary Sustainability Consulting and cofounder of EnviroMedia Social Marketing.
Advertisers
Pew Center Conference: Corporate Energy Efficiency
Reduce energy consumption, lower emissions and save money. >>
Join the Discussion
Recent Daily News [ see all ]
- 02/09/2010
- 02/08/2010
- 02/05/2010
- Caterpillar Puts Weight Behind $1.5B FutureGen CCS Project
- WR Grace Targets 20% Energy Intensity Cuts
- As UK Cap and Trade Falters, Government May Prop Up Carbon Prices
- Federal Government Proposes Climate Change Office
- University of Florida Football Complex Uses 25% Less Energy Than Similar Buildings
- 34% of Execs Cite Economy As Impediment to Adopting Sustainability
- Energy Storage Project Aims to Extend Utility of Solar Power
- Ford to Debut Electric Commercial Van
- SF OKs $150M in Property Tax Financing for Energy Efficiency, Renewables
- BNSF Signs Deal for Measuring Energy Efficiency
- Roundup: GE, IBM, Audi ‘Green Police,’ EU Carbon
- Accidental to Purposeful Sustainability: Using What You Already Have to Grow Sustainability
- Holiday Inn Express, Bardessono Boast Energy Efficiency, Renewables
- Massachusetts Adds $20M in Solar to 12 Wastewater Plants
- Novo Nordisk Cuts CO2 Emissions by 32%, Water Use by 20%
- Roundup: Dr. Suess Cease-and-Desist, Philips, EPA, Melting Drywall
- Canadian Environment Minister Denounces Quebec Vehicle Emissions Regs
- Energy-Efficient Lighting Saves Canadian Tire $6M in 2009
- Pixar Data Center Saves Money Via Cold Aisle Containment
- HVAC Software Helps University of Texas Save $500K a Year
- Data Centers Can Apply for Energy Star Rating in June
- Rytec’s Fast Cold Storage Door Helps Save Energy
- Burt’s Bees Decreases Waste to Landfill by 51.5% in 2009
- National RES Would Benefit Southeastern, Manufacturing States
- TBR Evaluates Sustainability Strategies at Dell, CSC, Cisco
- CEO Report Envisions $6 Trillion in Sustainable New Business Opportunities
- IBM ‘Cloud Computing’ Data Center Saves 15% in Energy Costs
- Bipartisan Senatorial Effort Seeks Cap and Trade for non-CO2 Emissions
- Collapsible Ocean Shipping Container May Help Reduce Emissions
- To Ensure Future Compliance, Utility Asks for CO2 Limits
- Analyzing Energy-Efficiency Metrics Can Reduce Energy Use in Data Centers
- Goose Island Touts Low-Carbon Brew
Charts [ see all ]
Popular Topics
Energy Efficiency
Data Center
Emissions
Facilities
Electricity
Sustainability
Water
Supply Chain
Efficiency
Green Marketing
Strategy & Leadership
Research
Fleets & Transportation
Carbon Finance
Conventional Energy
Clean Energy
Waste & Recycling
Paper & Packaging
Policy & Law
Utilities
Construction
Comments and Discussions
John Bergdoll on Accidental to Purposeful Sustainability: Using What You Already Have to Grow Sustainability
"I was following the logic your article..."
Liz Amason on Clorox Comes Clean With Chemical Content on Web Site
"But look at their ingredients listings. For example, their regular liquid bleach..."
Rigidflexibility on Companies Going Green Should Ignore Green Consumer
"I was about to market a metal working fluid that is 98>% Soybean oil and..."
Stuart on Canadian Environment Minister Denounces Quebec Vehicle Emissions Regs
"Canadians have been waiting for the feds to act on climate change for..."
Steve Wolford on Sports Teams Embrace Sustainability
"Hello Environmental Leader, We just returned from the National Sport Forum in Baltimore. Team and..."
Mauibrad on Bipartisan Senatorial Effort Seeks Cap and Trade for non-CO2 Emissions
"Finally some enlightened ideas out of Congress!"
Cameron Green on Data Centers Can Apply for Energy Star Rating in June
"I did a blog post about this. Essentially PUE doesn’t give you very much..."
Reader Comments
Kevin,
This is a great idea, and one I hope many people post on facebook and other social networking sites. Here’s my list:
Top 10 Climate Action to Do Today
PRODUCT MARKETING SHOULD CONSIDER CLIMATE AND PROFIT
1. Make better quality goods that are durable and last longer. Enough of the cheap products that fall apart after a year and need to be replaced over and over again. Follow the cradle-to-cradle model of product design, and make “durable” a sought-after product attribute. Get Hollywood involved. If Brad and Angelina wore the same thing again and again to events, people might think that’s “cool” for a classy ensemble to have lasting power.
2. Change marketing practices to stop offering junk as promotions that people don’t need or want, especially at tradeshows. Reduce giveaways and free promotional items. See http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/inbox2.html?id=1244128193 and http://www.storyofstuff.org
3. Encourage consumers to buy from companies who take meaningful steps towards addressing climate change. Demand transparency in SEC filings to include climate change disclosure. Don’t invest in companies who fail to share where they stand on climate change.
4. Require that companies follow scientifically based standards and independent third party verification when claiming environmental benefits. Just because a company says their product is “green” or “eco-friendly” or “natural” doesn’t mean that it is.
CREATE JOBS TO TAKE ACTION
5. Turn talk into reality and create real green jobs for all the hardworking people who are out of work and ready to contribute to the sustainable economy. While we’re at it, provide solid training programs throughout the country and especially in hard-hit areas of high unemployment for people to learn new skills such as how to manufacture solar panels and wind turbine parts and how to install energy efficiency and renewable energy systems.
“ALTERNATIVE” TRANSPORTATION SHOULD BECOME MAINSTREAM
6. Invest in public transportation infrastructure and create better bike laws (including mandatory bike helmets and clearly marked bike lanes) so that cyclists are safe. Bikes, buses and trains should not be “alternative transportation” but rather mainstream transportation. For those who drive, drive smart by knowing what your air pressure is on your tires for the best mileage, take efficient routes and carpool.
REWARD ENERGY CONSERVATION
7. Reward customers who engage in energy conservation behaviors. Follow the Portland model to fund energy efficiency retrofits by working with utilities to embed energy efficiency measures right on the energy bill to make it a seamless process to become energy efficient.
KEEP IT IN OUR OWN BACKYARD
8. Every neighborhood should be a walkable neighborhood where everything you need is within a 20 minute walk. See http://www.walkscore.com. Bring back the concept of the local grocery store and offer locally grown produce and healthy and reasonably priced products accessible to everyone. New Seasons is a great model, although can reduce their prices even more so everyone can afford to shop there.
9. Make zero waste a reality by creating an infrastructure that encourages residential and commercial composting and a recycling market that doesn’t just throw the materials back in the landfills or send recyclables overseas. Nearly everything we “throw away” can be considered a valuable raw material that can be used to create compost (i.e. food scraps or other compostable items), recyclable products or even art.
10. While international travel is chic and full of mystique, traveling in our own backyard offers just as much adventure and may result in lower carbon emissions in terms of avoiding long plane flights. Rather than backpacking through Europe, why not appreciate the beauty of our own backyard and explore our national parks and natural surroundings, while they are still around.
Jessica Repa | June 4th, 2009
yes these ten points, as also those by Jessica are worth emulating by all the countries,including the developing countries like India !
Ravi Menon | June 7th, 2009