Let's Call for a Clean Slate

The Sierra Club has created the Clean Slate Energy Agenda and is asking citizens to contact President-elect Obama to ask him to seriously consider the following actions to reduce global warming:

1. End the rush to build new coal plants by directing the EPA to require all new power plants to limit their global warming emissions.
2. Direct the EPA to approve plans by 15 states to require clean cars.
3. Direct the EPA to end mountaintop removal mining by stopping coal companies from dumping rock and waste into valleys and streams.
4. Restore America's international leadership in the fight to end global warming by publicly committing the US to cut its CO2 emissions at least 35% by 2020.

For more information or to send youyr message visit http://action.sierraclub.org/cleanslate. Send your message now. President-elect Obama needs to know that our government needs to take immediate action to slow down global warming.

Green Christmas

This is my first post after being AWOL during the end of the fall semester; I hope to post bit more during the coming weeks.

Bing had a White Christmas; Elvis had a Blue Christmas. This holiday season the staff of Syracuse University will be having a GREEN CHRISTMAS with an extended paid holiday break! In past years the University operated on a reduced schedule during the business days between Christmas and New Years Day. This year as an energy-saving measuer all non-essential offices will be closed during the period. The program is a pilot and will be evaulated after the holidays to determine if it should be implemented during future holidays. It's part of the University's ongoing committment to sustainability.

We'll have to wait and see if the break will add much to energy use reduction, but when the holiday extension was announced to the employees, the reaction was so positive one would have thought that Santa had landed on the Quad and was handing out bags of cash! It's possible that SU may not only reap energy savings, but could also experience a productivity increase among a happy staff that was given the opportunity to enjoy extra quality time with family and friends.

Happy Green Christmas to one and all!