Free E-Book on Global Warming Solutions

Retired Syracuse University professor Oliver Clubb has posted his most recent book online. "Global Warming Solutions: A Concerned Citizen's Guide to Climate Protection," is not only paperless, but it can be downloaded free!

If you are in the Central New York area, and are interested, a book release reception will be held at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 1-2 p.m in Room 110 of Moon Library; refreshments will be served. The Department of Environmental Studies is sponsoring the event. Details >>

Thank you very much, Dr. Clubb!

I was memed by Raquelle to list my favorite twenty actors. You can read the list of my top twenty favorite actresses on The Golden Age of Hollywood.

1. Gregory Peck

2. Paul Newman.

3. Cary Grant

4. Lon Cheney, Sr.

5. Lew Ayres

6. Jack Lemmon

7. Charles Farrell

8. Harold Lloyd

9. Jack Carson

10. Anthony Quinn

11. Humphrey Bogart

12. Burt Lancaster

13.Kirk Douglas

The Defiant Ones: 15. Tony Curtis & 16. Sidney Poitier

17. Sterling Hayden

18. Richard Widmark

Wrestling Buddies: 19. Alan Bates & 20. Oliver Reed

Yet another Stupid Quiz

Although I think this quiz, is pretty appropriate since I have such an interest in film. I have to say I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping my life would have been directed by Billy Wilder.

Your result for The Director Who Films Your Life Test...

Sofia Coppola

Your film will be 70% romantic, 21% comedy, 33% complex plot, and a $ 27 million budget.

With few films under her belt (The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette) as a writer/director, she's already highly respected and connected -- her dad, Francis, directed all The Godfather movies and Apocolypse Now. Sofia's good at making the romantic drama that is your life with poignant sullen moments of introspection. You saw how she stylishly handled Marie Antoinette's life, no? And who didn't have at least a lump in the throat at the end of Lost In Translation? She's already won one Academy Award for her writing, now she'll be the first woman to receive one for directing -- YOUR FILM!

Take The Director Who Films Your Life Test at HelloQuizzy

Calling All New Yorkers!
In 1982, the New York State Legislature passed the Returnable Contaner Act (RCA), better known as the bottle bill. Since that time the bill has resulted in reducing litter by 70%, and in the recycling of 90 million bottles. Non--carbonated beverages, such as water and sport drinks , however, are not covered under the bottle bill. A "Bigger Better Bottle Bill" has been introduced in both houses of the New York State legislature. If you live in New York State, and share my concern for the environment, please take a moment to contact your legislator and ask them to support this very important piece of legislation.

Find your New York State representatives here:

New York State Assembly Members List

New York State Senators List

E-mail List of New York State Senators


For more info:

Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency

Container Recycling Institute

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Water Bottle Fact Sheet (PDF)

Search Goes Green

I recently started using an Internet search engine that saves 0.1 m² (0.11 yd²) of rainforest with each search you do. The website delivers the same search result as Google, is free and makes your internet searches green!
The address of the "green search engine" is: http://www.forestle.org/

So far Forestle already has saved 72,673.9 m² (79,476.2 yd²) of rainforest!

Read more about Forestle on ars technica.

One More Day!!!!

I can't believe that we've finally arrived at Bush's last full day in office. Words just can't express how thrilled I am that tomorrow the United States will have a new president. I'd be thrilled just to have anyone other than Bush, but to have a person as intelligent and articulate as Barack Obama as our next President is tremedous!

Happy New Year!

It's January 1, 2009, and you know what that means? Only 19 more days of suffering through the Bush Administration!!!

I spent today visiting the Obama transition site. Here's the agenda for the environmental issues.

I'd like to wish everyone all the best for the coming year. If we all work together we can make America stronger!

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!

I am a Marilyn!

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

What I Like About Being a Marilyn

• * being committed and faithful to family and friends
• * being responsible and hardworking
• * being compassionate toward others
• * having intellect and wit
• * being a nonconformist
• * confronting danger bravely
• * being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn

• * the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind
• * procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself
• * fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of
• * exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger
• * wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right
• * being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

I knew it. I knew I was a Marilyn all along. Here's the quiz.

Al Gore Web Cast Tonight

On Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST, Al Gore will call upon youth around the country to help repower America this November. Watch the live address here.

Be there or be square!

Update on Me and Clean Fuel from Garbage

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I knew my posting would slow down once classes started. this semester I'm taking Managment Principles for Information Technology Professionals. I was pretty busy last weekend installing my new iMac! It's a great machine, and the final puchase for my new revamped home office. (Although I may be shopping around for an area carpet when I get some spare cash.)


I'd like to pass along to you this interesting story about researchers from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry who are turning garbage from Syracuse University dining halls into biodiesel fuel.

Random Blog Visit 9
Wes in Europe

Ever want to spend your summer vacation in Europe? Yeah, well me, too. Not ever having the opportunity, this summer I lived vicariously through the adventures of a young man from the U.S. Mid-west named, you guessed it, Wes.

Wes's travels take him to Italy, The Alps, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and London. But don't think it's all leisure time for Wes, through the blog he documents his performing arts studies in Hamburg.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

While I try to avoid using my blog for political purposes, because I'm interested in environmental issues, I just can't let this one go. John McCain's choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is wrong on so many levels, but he's actually found a running-mate whose record on backing big oil over the environment is WORSE than President Bush's!!! The Governor actually argues that polar bears don't need protection!

Sierra Club Executive Director, Carl Pope says, "With the pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for his running mate, John McCain's race towards the Bush administration's failed energy policy is now complete." Furthermore Palin over stepped her authority as governor to advocate against a clean water initiative.

I just don't understand how someone like Palin, who identifies so strongly with being a "mom" can justify selling out her homeland's future to big oil and mining interests.

Random Blog Visit 8:
A Good Idea Ahead of Its Time?

Recently I had the opportunity to ask Jim Anderson, technology entreprenuer and founder of StandardID if there was one thing concerning his business that he wished he could do over again. He told me that there was one product that he wished he could reintroduce to the market, because it was too far ahead of its time; the market wasn't ready for it.

Pay by Touch seems to have suffered the same fate.

My Hometown's Mayor Gets Award from EPA

Mayor Matt Driscoll received a leadership certificate for environmental stewardship from the Environmental Protection Agency, but I'm so proud to say that my good friend, Carolyn King was in part responsible for the efforts that earned that award. Details.

Carolyn also highly recommends visiting Sustainable Thompkins.

What Can I Do Without?

This is the question that Juneau residents were forced to answer when their electricity supply was severly curtailed due to an avalanche last spring. The story recently broadcast on NPR sproves that people can react positively in the face of adversity. Unfortunately now with power restored, usage has begun to increase again. Perhaps rising energy costs may motivate the citizens of Juneau back to conserving again.

Guest Posting on Out of the Past
Last Sunday I attended Capitolfest, a classic film festival held at the Capitol Theatre in Rome, N.Y. You can read my guest posting on Out of the Past: A Classic Flim Blog.

Take the Energy Quiz

How savvy are you when it comes to understanding America's energy usage? Take the quiz.

Solving Big Problems with Small Actions

I'm a bit upset over John McCain's belittling of Barack Obama's suggestion of keeping your automobile tires inflated to the proper air pressure as a means to save energy. This is not directly related to global warming, either. It speaks volumes about the two men running for President and their concepts concerning efforts to change our nation.

OK, keeping your automobile tires inflated won't do much to save energy, if you're the only one with properly inflated tires. But what happens when you keep your tires properly inflated, and so does everyone in your neighborhood, and everyone in your city, and everyone in your state? Can you start to see the big picture? I believe, and I think that Barack Obama does as well, that we can solve big problems with small actions-- IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER. A quote from Barack Obama's web site reads,"I'm asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...I'm asking you to believe in yours." McCain on the other hand, doesn't seem to see the value in small sacrifices. No, he'd rather maindate a solution from a large oil company.

I continue to see the United States as a nation of individual citizens not mega-corporations, and if we're going to solve the massive problems ahead of us, then we'll need to take the responsibilty to solve these problems. We'll also require a leader who gets this idea, and has the force of personality to encourage each and everyone of us to get involved. It's still our country let's work together, and take it back!