If you haven’t seen From the Ashes, a National Geographic documentary, it is well worth renting. Along with Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth sequel, which our local nonprofit environmental groups (EcoAdapt, Climate Action Bainbridge, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Island Power and Sustainable Bainbridge) brought to Bainbridge, they make a strong case for first getting off of coal, and second, getting off of fossil fuels all together.
One Biosphere
After Island Power’s campaign was tabled unanimously on June 13th by the Bainbridge City Council I started to wonder – do people just not get that coal and fossil fuels pollute both air and water – two things that are vital to every living thing on this planet? And, that we have one biosphere (earth) where everything and everyone are connected? People seem to think that we can pollute one part of the world completely forgetting that the earth doesn’t have partitions.
Hope
The idea of public power may have just been too big a concept for Bainbridge Island right now. Hopefully, a climate forum that was started in the wake of the campaign by other environmental groups on the island will provide a better opportunity to educate and discuss how we might mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Climate Leaders in Washington State
The City of Bainbridge Island council chose not to lead, even after they received a positive feasibility study, which they said would inform their decision on whether to move forward with a ballot measure. What gives me hope is that there are many organizations, businesses and local governments that see the bigger picture and are working to mitigate climate change by getting off of fossil fuels. Here are a few:
- Microsoft: State regulators approve Microsoft move to lower its carbon footprint by acquiring clean power on wholesale markets rather than buying from PSE. Read more…
- City of Edmonds: City Council recently approved a resolution establishing a community-wide goal of transitioning to 100 percent clean and renewable energy by 2025. Read more…
- YES! Magazine: Our Best Shot at Meeting Paris Goals? Make Energy Public A new report finds public ownership is the best way for cities and towns to meet renewable energy and efficiency targets. Read more…
- CarbonWA: Their initiative 732 campaign was admirable. An amazing grassroots organization that is still working toward a clean-energy economy.
- Climate Action Bainbridge: They have worked on numerous campaigns from Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal to CarbonWA’s initiative 732. And, now CAB members Mike Cox, Gary Lagerloef, Deb Rudnick, and Lara Hansen have been chosen as members of the city’s 9-person Climate Change Advisory Committee.
- Jefferson County: Our neighbors continue to show us what is possible. Jefferson PUD has grown from 8 to 45 employees since 2013. Read more…
- EcoAdapt: Meeting the challenges of climate change. A nonprofit here on the island with national reach.
- Citizens Climate Lobby: Your local chapter.
- Sierra Club: Their Beyond Coal Campaign is now Beyond Fossil Fuels. Their campaign is featured in the new documentary From the Ashes, on the National Geographic Channel. Join them to get involved in the fight for a cleaner, healthier future.
- 350.org: The Seattle chapter.
- Greenpeace: Climate campaigns.
- Backbone Campaign they’re working with RedLine Tacoma and 350.org to stop the #LNG pipeline: http://www.backbonecampaign.org/
- Redline Tacoma (changing their name soon) Working to stop PSE’s LNG pipeline.
