In the past couple of years, several documentary films have come out that are focused on the folly of fossil fuels (such as oil, gasoline, and natural gas), and new films have also been made to bring attention to the broader climate crisis. Most of these movies have been critically acclaimed.
Recent fuel films include:
Gasland (2009): about drilling for natural gas by “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing) (Gasland is currently airing on HBO and via HBO On Demand.)
Crude (2009): about the lawsuit on Chevron/Texaco’s contamination of an Amazon community in Ecuador
Fuel (2008): about biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (2007)
Also, in the years since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, several new films have been made about climate change; these include:
Climate of Change (2010: Coming Soon): This film was created to present inspiring, uplifting stories of regular people around the world who have spearheaded a variety of local initiatives to combat climate change.
The Age of Stupid (2008)
Climate Refugees (2009)
The 11th Hour (2007)
Click on the links to see trailers or to learn more about each film. Check sites such as IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and Netflix for reviews.
If you’ve seen any of these films, let us know what you thought of them by posting a comment below.
July 26, 2010
In these times of unnatural disasters—such as BP’s out-of-control oil-hemorrhaging drill “spill,” as well as extreme weather events caused by increasing climate volatility—more people are seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint: i.e., their consumption of fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, and natural gas). We are all essentially junkies—or oiloholics—who don’t know how to live without these substances.
Power plants (especially those that burn coal), transportation (particularly emissions from cars and jets), and energy use for homes and buildings (e.g., for heating and cooling) are the primary sources of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide and methane. [For detailed information on the percentage of emissions from different sectors, see the U.S. Energy Information Administration: Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Report and Architecture 2030’s data analysis.]
Until government and industry help shift our infrastructure and economy away from dinosaur fuels and into clean, renewable energy sources, we’ll never be able to get truly “clean”—so we should all be pushing for government to end subsidies and tax breaks to dirty energy industries and to support cleaner energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, tidal power, biomass, and some types of biofuels—a topic for a future post). But we can also do a lot right now, in our everyday lives, to start getting ourselves less addicted.
In addition to the most obvious steps that can be taken to reduce our direct use of fossil fuels and electricity generated by fossil fuels — such as driving as little as possible and conserving energy and water at home/work/school— there are lots of other ways that each of us can lessen our dependence on filthy fuels. You can do so in every area of your life, from choices you make for your home and household and yard and garden, to your vehicle/transportation, travel, food, and other consumer choices. For example, plastics and many household products (such as common cleaning products and personal care products) contain petrochemicals, so it’s best to choose alternatives to such products (e.g., glass instead of plastic bottles/containers, and all-natural household/personal products).
I’ve compiled this compendium of several online resources that list specific ways that we can start tackling our individual and collective carbon addiction:
July 6, 2010
Take a look at The Green Spotlight’s official Facebook Page for more frequent postings of brief news blurbs and recommended links. And if you have a Facebook account, please consider connecting to the page by clicking on the “Like” button at the top. Feel free to share links, recommendations, or comments with The Green Spotlight community.
July 6, 2010
Just a quick post to provide links to information on the BP oil drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and some of the key organizations and agencies that are working to minimize the impacts of it and provide emergency rescue and recovery assistance. The oil slick is shaping up to be far worse than BP originally said it could be, and probably even worse than the Exxon Valdez spill. It’s going to be devastating for the ecosystems and animals, as well as fishermen and other people who live in the region. These are a few groups you might want to support, as well as articles linking to other efforts:
Gulf Restoration Network (Donate. Volunteer. )
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, MS
If you’re on the Gulf Coast, and you see marine mammals (e.g., dolphins, manatees) or sea turtles that have been affected by the spill, please call this hotline: 1-888-767-3657.
To report oiled birds or other wildlife, call this hotline: 1-866-557-1401.
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana: Volunteer registration
“Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impact: Get Involved“ article (w/ more links) from Huffington Post, posted on GlobalGreen.org
“Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: The What, When and Where…and How You Can Help” article (w/ more links) on Planet Green (Discovery)
For additional info on the spill, see these sites:
And for an overview of BP’s previous accidents and the company’s controversial environmental record, take a look at this Wikipedia page.
As for longer-term solutions to prevent this type of disaster from recurring, the best things that each of us can do are: 1) to demand that all of our governmental representatives support energy conservation and clean/renewable energy legislation, and 2) to decrease our own consumption of oil, gasoline, fossil-fuel-generated electricity, and petroleum-based products, including plastic. (Reducing our demand for oil will help to reduce the need for drilling and exploration to boost the oil supply.) Look for more details on these topics in later posts.
May 3, 2010
Progress tends to take longer than we’d like. Change is almost always incremental: it happens through a series of steps, because many people are fearful of or resistant to change. However, small steps can gradually lead to larger strides. Individual actions can have a ripple effect. And small changes made by growing numbers of people can add up to a big impact. We shouldn’t let ourselves get paralyzed into inaction because we feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of a problem or we think our actions won’t make a difference.
Doing something constructive to address a problem is better than doing nothing. Wise thinkers throughout history—from Euripides to Lily Tomlin—have come to this conclusion, and they have articulated it in a variety of ways:
“Slight not what’s near, when aiming at what’s far.” — Euripides
“Nobody made a bigger mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” — Edmund Burke
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” — Voltaire
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” — Lao Tzu
“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.” — Jonathan Kozol
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.” — Chinese proverb
“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” — Marian Wright Edelman
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
“Big problems are rarely solved with commensurately big solutions. Instead, they are most often solved by a sequence of small solutions.” — Chip Heath and Dan Heath (This statement is excerpted from their book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.)
“I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.” — Lily Tomlin
For other words of wisdom, check out the Quotations page, and please feel free to add your own favorites in the Comments section.
March 12, 2010
I’d like to let everyone know about these important new books, which were written by a few of my esteemed colleagues. Please click on the links below for more information about each tome:
Thriving Beyond Sustainability: Pathways to a Resilient Society, by Andres Edwards (New Society Publishers) — This book will be available in May (2010), but it can be pre-ordered now. Here’s an excerpt from the publisher’s description of the book: “Thriving Beyond Sustainability draws a collective map of individuals, organizations, and communities from around the world that are committed to building an alternative future—one that strives to restore ecological health; reinvent outmoded institutions; and rejuvenate our environmental, social, and economic systems. The projects and initiatives profiled are meeting the challenges of the day with optimism, hope, and results, leading the way in relocalization, green commerce, ecological design, environmental conservation, and social transformation.” Click here to read reviews of the book, the book’s Foreword (by Bill McKibben), Table of Contents, or an annotated bibliography.
Fundamentals of Integrated Design for Sustainable Building, by Marian Keeler and Bill Burke (John Wiley & Sons, 2009)— This book serves as an in-depth textbook for design students and a comprehensive reference for practitioners. It presents the history, issues, principles, technologies, process, and practice of sustainable building design, as well as case studies of model projects. In addition, it promotes active learning by providing design problems, research exercises, study questions, and discussion topics.
February 25, 2010
