9.20.2008
camp in Princeton
going strong head over to skysride.wordpress.com to see a picture of my back while on the road!
9.18.2008
Some of my thoughts cross-posted on the Climate Ride blog
Thanks go to David Kroodsma for cross-posting some of my thoughts on sustainability on the main Climate Ride blog! Dave has already done a couple climate-awareness journeys on his own. One from California to Argentina (!!!), and another from California to the Canadian border and then across the United States. Holy saba sushi, Dave. That's awesome.
Music + Environment = Hot Buttered Rum
My friend Amos just sent me this video about the band Hot Buttered Rum and how they tour 200+ days per year in a biodiesel-powered bus. Greening music and creative events is something I interviewed Brian Allenby of Reverb about a while back. My question is: Have any hip hop groups rapped about the Prius? Send me the artist and tracks if you know.
9.17.2008
I met the minimum!!!
Thanks to a big surge from my friend Todd Rengel, I just passed the minimum funding requirement for the ride! When Todd's not busy BEING AWESOME, he and his team at Animus Rex build great websites, such as Policy Innovations. So check out what they're up to, but be warned: Creative people sometimes talk funny.
Public Comment Period Officially Open
Friends, please use the comment section on this post to let me know what's most important for our Senators to hear (other than a honking car at close range). Also post what you think you can do to get greener this year, or any simple good luck wishes for my ride.
Here's the scoop on my Senate meetings and where some of the NY reps stand on environmental legislation:
Th 10:30 Sarah Birmingham (Sen Schumer) 313 Hart SOB
Th 11:00 Dan Utech (Sen Clinton) 476 Russell SOB
Sen Charles Schumer "Thanks, do more"
· Co-sponsor of S.2191, Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act which would reduce emissions 18-25% by 2020 and 62-66% by 2050.
· Has not co-sponsored Boxer-Sanders, the only bill in the senate which will achieve the requisite 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.
· Supports funding the Green Jobs Act of 2007 providing $125m for green jobs training
Sen Hilary Clinton "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of S.309, the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
· Supports funding the Green Jobs Act of 2007 providing $125m for green jobs training
Rep Kirsten Gillibrand "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of H.R.1590, the Safe Climate Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
Rep Jerrold Nadler "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of H.R.1590, the Safe Climate Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
· Co-sponsor of H.R.620, Olver-Gilchrest Climate Stewardship Act, which will reduce emissions 11% by 2020 and 56% by 2050
Rep Timothy Bishop "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of H.R.1590, the Safe Climate Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
· Co-sponsor of H.R.620, Olver-Gilchrest Climate Stewardship Act, which will reduce emissions 11% by 2020 and 56% by 2050
Here's the scoop on my Senate meetings and where some of the NY reps stand on environmental legislation:
Th 10:30 Sarah Birmingham (Sen Schumer) 313 Hart SOB
Th 11:00 Dan Utech (Sen Clinton) 476 Russell SOB
Sen Charles Schumer "Thanks, do more"
· Co-sponsor of S.2191, Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act which would reduce emissions 18-25% by 2020 and 62-66% by 2050.
· Has not co-sponsored Boxer-Sanders, the only bill in the senate which will achieve the requisite 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.
· Supports funding the Green Jobs Act of 2007 providing $125m for green jobs training
Sen Hilary Clinton "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of S.309, the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
· Supports funding the Green Jobs Act of 2007 providing $125m for green jobs training
Rep Kirsten Gillibrand "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of H.R.1590, the Safe Climate Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
Rep Jerrold Nadler "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of H.R.1590, the Safe Climate Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
· Co-sponsor of H.R.620, Olver-Gilchrest Climate Stewardship Act, which will reduce emissions 11% by 2020 and 56% by 2050
Rep Timothy Bishop "Thanks, you're awesome"
· Co-sponsor of H.R.1590, the Safe Climate Act, which would reduce emissions 14% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
· Co-sponsor of H.R.620, Olver-Gilchrest Climate Stewardship Act, which will reduce emissions 11% by 2020 and 56% by 2050
Shout Out to Debra Hampton
The great thing about having a blog is that you can give a shout out where it's due. Today's good vibes go to my partner, Debra Hampton. Baby, I am so all over those dishes come January and February when you're cramming for your gallery show. Thanks for supporting me through this hectic project. Love, Ev
9.15.2008
The Glass IS Half Full!
This is a big thank you to the 25 different people who have sponsored my Climate Ride so far. I passed the halfway mark today for the minimum I need to raise ($1,175 out of $2,250). It's pretty amazing to feel that so many people support me in this project.
Maybe I'm just buzzed from blasting home down the river, but the gong is ringing in my head that focus and determination need to be applied in everything from here on out. With the ride just 5 days away I'm pushing hard to hit my ultimate goal of $3,000. Which means... back to work!
Maybe I'm just buzzed from blasting home down the river, but the gong is ringing in my head that focus and determination need to be applied in everything from here on out. With the ride just 5 days away I'm pushing hard to hit my ultimate goal of $3,000. Which means... back to work!
9.13.2008
Graham Slick embarasses me with generosity
One of my deep people Graham Slick embarrassed me with his generosity last night. Not only did he kick in a little for the cause but he also put up a sweet webpage to help spread the word about this project. (Thank you, Graham. YOU are awesome.) He even decked it out with some images from his Inktank (Fall In) series, which is among my favorite works of his as an artist.It's his birthday this Sunday and he's in a show that day at Supreme Trading, so give him a shout out or come see us this weekend at the gallery. Here's what he says about the event:
THIS IS MY BDAY PART.... MY BDAY SUNDAY SEPT 14TH
I'm in a little show opening on Sunday Sept 14th aka MY BIRTHDAY!!!! at Supreme Trading in Williamsburg off the Bedford L stop. 213 N8th St (bet Driggs and Roebling)
I'm showing my Asphalt - Skateboards (these are new baby!)
The show is a little disorganized, i don't have a start time, i know it's not my style and it's driving me crazy, i think it's a sign that i need to loosen my grip a little for my 33rd year of life. let's just assume 7:30or8pm is a good time to get there for a bday drink, the art should be in full swing. it is a school night, i can't see it being a late night event.
Supreme Trading is a pretty cool space/place/compound, it's a bar with a gallery connected to it and an outdoor BBQ and smoking zone and i think there's a performance venue attached to it too, although i haven't seen anyone perform there in a while. it's a cool place, and it's my bday.
:)
..graham
9.11.2008
Meeting Confirmed with Schumer's Office
I just got confirmation from Alex Tinker at Focus the Nation that I have a meeting with Sen. Schumer's office after the Climate Ride. They're still working on Hillary and Jerrold Nadler. Not sure yet whether I'll get to record any of the meetings, but getting a foot in the door is the first important step.
9.10.2008
The Bigger Picture Behind Evan's Climate Ride
The following is a little background about my motivation for doing the Climate Ride, how you can get involved and go green(er), and why it's critical that we act now. There are also some very concrete outcomes I hope to achieve (no, I'm not talking about my thighs).
Here's my donation page: www.climateride2008.kintera.org/evan
WHAT YOU CAN DO AND WHAT I'M UP TO
There are some easy ways we can all chip in to reduce global warming emissions.
GREENING OUR HOMES
Making the change to renewable energy is probably an option wherever you live, and often for only a marginal cost increase. If you like to leave the light on when you switch rooms, at least you'll know that somewhere a windmill is spinning for you. I'm currently purchasing 100% green energy from ConEdison.
GREENING OUR WORKPLACES
We spend a lot of time at work. Do what you can to garner support among your colleagues and make the appropriate changes around the office. There is often a latent and widespread environmental consensus waiting to be tapped. I recently drafted some pilot sustainability goals for my workplace, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, to cover the environmental costs of our operation: energy, transportation, food (such as Fair Trade coffee for events), and print publishing.
GREENING OUR TRANSPORTATION
As much as you can, walk, bike, or take public transportation wherever you go. It's often healthier, more fun, and eye-opening to the worlds around us. The internal combustion engine must go the way of the dinosaurs within our lifetimes if we're to get tailpipe emissions under control. They account for about 20% of American emissions, and America makes up about 25% of global emissions, despite constituting only 4% of the global population. By biking as much as I can I free up one space on the subway for someone who can't bike or doesn't want to.
OFFSETTING REMAINING EMISSIONS
Clean Air-Cool Planet has done some great research to show that, while there are still some problems in the new industry of carbon offsetting, many good companies do exist that fund renewable energy projects to absorb whatever emissions you can't eliminate from your lifestyle. I pledge to retroactively offset 5 years of automobile driving (~60,000 miles) and every airline flight I have taken and plan to take. Most likely I'll do this through Native Energy, a company that builds renewable energy capacity on tribal lands.
All of these activities have costs that aren't factored into the prices we pay as consumers. But they are real costs. It is our responsibility to pay them and to start forcing our governance--local, state, federal, international--to account for and eliminate this pollution.
Often these costs are pushed to the future, onto the backs of future generations. It's up to us to break that cycle. Especially because we are that future generation. If many of the current climate predictions are accurate, the changes from global warming will start to manifest during our lifetimes. Education and advocacy are the key.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Some experts are warning that we have only one hundred months before the climate hits certain irreversible thresholds. Most of us are not climate scientists, but there is overwhelming consensus among them that industrial business as usual will push the atmosphere into conditions not experienced during the course of human civilization. Do we want to risk that? As far as I can see, one planet is not enough to experiment with.
Climate change is not a leap of faith, despite the uncertainty of detail in how it will play out. If we trust the undeniable regularity of the world around us, then we must accept the scientific conclusion that a high concentration of greenhouse gases will make our planet inhospitable to the best that human civilization has achieved, to the good life we all enjoy though it is not universally shared within our nations or across this planet.
Our finest trait as humans is as architects of the future, but it is also our biggest personal and social responsibility. History is a series of moments where a small group of strong-willed people becomes the decisive factor in choosing a future. There is a slow, green revolution already under way. I hope you'll join me in it.
Your two-wheeled friend,
Evan: www.climateride2008.kintera.org/evan
Here's my donation page: www.climateride2008.kintera.org/evan
WHAT YOU CAN DO AND WHAT I'M UP TO
There are some easy ways we can all chip in to reduce global warming emissions.
GREENING OUR HOMES
Making the change to renewable energy is probably an option wherever you live, and often for only a marginal cost increase. If you like to leave the light on when you switch rooms, at least you'll know that somewhere a windmill is spinning for you. I'm currently purchasing 100% green energy from ConEdison.
GREENING OUR WORKPLACES
We spend a lot of time at work. Do what you can to garner support among your colleagues and make the appropriate changes around the office. There is often a latent and widespread environmental consensus waiting to be tapped. I recently drafted some pilot sustainability goals for my workplace, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, to cover the environmental costs of our operation: energy, transportation, food (such as Fair Trade coffee for events), and print publishing.
GREENING OUR TRANSPORTATION
As much as you can, walk, bike, or take public transportation wherever you go. It's often healthier, more fun, and eye-opening to the worlds around us. The internal combustion engine must go the way of the dinosaurs within our lifetimes if we're to get tailpipe emissions under control. They account for about 20% of American emissions, and America makes up about 25% of global emissions, despite constituting only 4% of the global population. By biking as much as I can I free up one space on the subway for someone who can't bike or doesn't want to.
OFFSETTING REMAINING EMISSIONS
Clean Air-Cool Planet has done some great research to show that, while there are still some problems in the new industry of carbon offsetting, many good companies do exist that fund renewable energy projects to absorb whatever emissions you can't eliminate from your lifestyle. I pledge to retroactively offset 5 years of automobile driving (~60,000 miles) and every airline flight I have taken and plan to take. Most likely I'll do this through Native Energy, a company that builds renewable energy capacity on tribal lands.
All of these activities have costs that aren't factored into the prices we pay as consumers. But they are real costs. It is our responsibility to pay them and to start forcing our governance--local, state, federal, international--to account for and eliminate this pollution.
Often these costs are pushed to the future, onto the backs of future generations. It's up to us to break that cycle. Especially because we are that future generation. If many of the current climate predictions are accurate, the changes from global warming will start to manifest during our lifetimes. Education and advocacy are the key.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Some experts are warning that we have only one hundred months before the climate hits certain irreversible thresholds. Most of us are not climate scientists, but there is overwhelming consensus among them that industrial business as usual will push the atmosphere into conditions not experienced during the course of human civilization. Do we want to risk that? As far as I can see, one planet is not enough to experiment with.
Climate change is not a leap of faith, despite the uncertainty of detail in how it will play out. If we trust the undeniable regularity of the world around us, then we must accept the scientific conclusion that a high concentration of greenhouse gases will make our planet inhospitable to the best that human civilization has achieved, to the good life we all enjoy though it is not universally shared within our nations or across this planet.
Our finest trait as humans is as architects of the future, but it is also our biggest personal and social responsibility. History is a series of moments where a small group of strong-willed people becomes the decisive factor in choosing a future. There is a slow, green revolution already under way. I hope you'll join me in it.
Your two-wheeled friend,
Evan: www.climateride2008.kintera.org/evan
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