As Kelowna burns...

I can't sit and do nothing. Especially when Alberta's premier is backing away from renewable energy and putting her power behind the fossil fuels that create the greenhouse gas emissions that have created climate change. 

I know, I know. I rely on oil and gas and all the products and plastics that they make so that I can live just as much as everyone else. But we aren't given any choice, are we? Imagine if the wealthy folks who are running oil and gas companies decided to turn around spend their money on sustainable forms of energy and renewable products instead. The world would change. 

And that's the exact kind of revolution we need right now. 

As timing would have it, I watched this video, forwarded from my friend, Mark, at the end of June, just yesterday. Kathleen Dean Moore's presentation is actually from 9 years ago, but what she has to say about what we should do still holds very true. I'm including it below, because it is what motivated me to write the letter to my premier. I've set the video (I hope) to start at the most essential point, but if you have time for the whole thing, I encourage you to hear what she says in its entirety. 

And I invite you to write your own letter to your own politicians about supporting renewable energy over fossil fuels. If you live in my neck of the woods, keep an eye out for Solar Alberta's #RiseUpForRenewables campaign. Maybe I'll even get me a lawn sign...

Dear Premier Smith and members of the Alberta Utilities Commission,

As I watch people fleeing for their lives from Kelowna and Yellowknife, I urge you to end the pause on renewable energy projects right now. We need clean energy more than ever. If you should be pausing anything, it is fossil fuel projects and subsidies. 

I am really angry that Premier Smith has called for this pause, especially when our fossil fuel industry is not being held to the same standards when it comes to end of life, land use, and reclamation concerns. I have seen with my own eyes the huge solar farm on poor soils/alkali flats near Claresholm, AB. I believe that our renewable energy community has the welfare of the planet in mind, unlike the fossil fuel industry that is padding the pockets of the wealthy in spite of evidence that emissions are causing climate change and killing too many of our planet's ecosystems.

I want my children and grandchildren to be able to breathe clear air. With AQHI reaching 10 or worse at times, that's not possible. Have you even noticed that Alberta's blue skies aren't as blue as they used to be? Pausing renewable projects is dooming us all to have to rely mainly on the fossil fuels that are changing our climate so quickly. If we haven't already reached the tipping point, we are most certainly running out of time.

End the pause on renewable energy projects now.

Sincerely,

Maria K

Time to "move the planet"

No, no, I'm not talking about "feeling the earth move," hee hee. Rather, here's a little challenge to mark on your calendar for September 24th (I'm giving lots of advance notice)...



It's a challenge much like WWF's annual April Earth Hour, only this time, it involves transportation rather than electricity. Organizers are billing it as a global movement, which, I suppose it is when you realize that a lot of people on our planet already get around without using fossil fuels. Unfortunately, many of us in North America have a lot to learn in that regard. Carbon emissions on our planet are already too high, and we're seeing the results of them in climate instabilities all over the globe. Today, the people of Somalia in particular are on my mind, but they certainly aren't the only ones in dire climate straits.

So here's the challenge, according to the Moving Planet website:

The goal [of the day] is to get moving beyond fossil fuels—both symbolically by pouring into the streets in the thousands on foot, bicycle and other means of sustainable movement, and politically by bringing powerful demands to our leaders that day to move beyond fossil fuels to a 350ppm world. Mobilizing for individual and community solutions will continue to be important—but one of the main goals for Moving Planet is to demand government action, especially in places where governments are stalling on climate action despite the overwhelming urgency of the science. (www.movingplanet.org)

In many centres, including my own, people will be gathering to form a procession that will travel on foot, bike, or other human powered travel, to a rally where government leaders will hopefully hear them! This is what my city's page says:

Let’s move Edmonton. Let’s show the world we’re willing to move beyond fossil fuels.
On September 24 let’s bike, walk, dance, skip or hop our way to the Alberta Legislature and shout out loud, three-five-zero! That’s the number in parts per million that many scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
Where are we today? Three-nine-four, nearly 50 ppm over the limit!
So on September 24 let’s gather at the Alberta Legislature and tell our government that we’re willing to do what it takes to help the world bring the number down to three-five-zero. That we're willing to move beyond fossil fuels.
Event Schedule:
11:00 AM: Meet at the northwest corner 105thStreet and Whyte Avenue—once the site of an Esso gas station, now a fenced-in, toxic brownfield that Imperial Oil has been remediating for more than 13 years.
11:15: Move—by bike or by foot—to the Alberta Legislature.
12 noon – 1:00: Rally at the Legislature: music, speeches and the presentation of our message.

Of course, it's one thing to say that we're willing to move beyond fossil fuels, but another thing altogether to actually do it. Personally, I wouldn't want to have to get through an Alberta winter without my furnace! At least, not until I get my house solarized or something (my husband's dream). Even so, if we're going to make a real change, it takes time, and someone has to give the bandwagon a push and get our legislators thinking in the right directions.

If you're interested in joining the movement, you can see about events in your area by going here. And if there's no event where you are, start your own... or participate by travelling without fossil fuels that day. Even if rallies aren't your thing, spread the word! The more, the merrier!

My bike and I are heading to a rally on the 24th of September. Maybe I'll see you there!