Thank Your Senators for making clean transportation part of the climate bill

Speaking of Climate Change...

The authors of the Senate climate bill have decided to support serious investment in cleaner transportation options. And it only makes sense – transportation pollution is responsible for nearly one-third of our national greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill will secure funding for clean transportation alternatives, such as public transportation and passenger rail, affordable neighborhoods around transit stops, vanpooling and neighborhood projects that increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

Please thank your senators for moving forward on this landmark bill and ask them to continue to support strong transportation measures in the climate bill.




http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/3224/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2180

Comment on Pennsylvania's Climate Change Action Plan

Beginning October 10, 2009, the Pennsylvania Climate Change Action Plan is available for a 30-day public comment period.

Pennsylvania is responsible for 1% of the planet’s man-made greenhouse emissions. On July 9, 2008, Governor Rendell signed the Climate Change Act (Act 70), which included a number of goals, including the preparation of an action plan detailing measures Pennsylvania could take to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Working with the Climate Change Advisory Committee, the Department has prepared this Climate Change Action Report, which identifies 52 specific actions that would result in a 95.6 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (MMtCO2e) reduction of Pennsylvania’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

Interested persons may submit written comments on Pennsylvania’s Climate Change Action Plan by November 9, 2009. The Department will accept comments submitted by mail or by e-mail. A return name and address must be included in each e-mail transmission. Email comments should be submitted to epclimatereportcomments@state.pa.us . Written comments should be submitted to Joseph Sherrick, via the U.S.P.S. to the Department of Environmental Protection, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17105. The Department will not accept comments submitted by facsimile.

Click here to access the full report or individual chapters. Chapter 6 focuses on Transportation and Land Use.

First Glance at Chapter 6

There is no mention of bicycling and walking in the plan. There is a desire but no stated goal for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled. The plan focuses instead on keep driving actions such as proper tire inflation and "Eco Driving". Enhanced Support for Existing Land Use Policies sounds like a really weak action. Why not strengthen and enforce better Land Use Policies?. Why not have a plan to make build more sidewalks and bike lanes?

So please submit your comments.

"What On Earth Are They Waiting For?"

What is wrong with Television Reporters???????

A national campaign has been launched to coerce the media to address climate change.

Of the 2,900+ questions asked of the presidential candidates by the top five TV political reporters to date, only four mentioned climate change. Only one more than the number of questions asked about UFOs.

PennEnvironment is asking you to join hundreds of thousands of others in asking America's leading reporters, "What on earth are they waiting for?" Help us stop the absurdity of the media ignoring the greatest environmental and economic challenge of our generation. Please take a minute to check out this video that highlights some of the more absurd questions these reporters felt compelled to ask while ignoring global warming and critical clean energy solutions.

Then sign a petition urging these reporters to get serious about addressing climate change.

Watch a video to learn more and take action:
http://pennenvironment.org/action/what-are-they-waiting-for?id4=ES

So You're Car Free - But Do You Fly?

What has shocked me the most about the so called carbon footprint is the one we leave by flying. Some of you who read this blog are either car-free or more likely car-lite, that is you drive a fraction of the normal American Household Average of 21,252 miles annually.

With the US Fuel Economy average at around 20.8 Miles Per Gallon1 that means that the Carbon Footprint for that Family is 11,000 Lbs of CO2 annually.

Enter the Flight Emission Calculator
You pick two airports and the Calculator generates the CO2 Emissions for a one way trip, for example one way from Philadelphia International to San Francisco releases 983 Lbs of C02 per passenger. So when a family of 4 goes to San Francisco Round Trip the total carbon footprint for that household is 7,864 lbs.

There are other calculators that will give you a ballpark figure of your total carbon footprint such as the this one on the carbonindependent.org website.

By the way if you were to travel 21,252 miles on buses or trains annually (about 42 miles one way for a 5 day a week commuter) your carbon footprint would be around 2,100 lbs of CO2 and of course if you were to travel that distance on your bike that number would be zero and you would be in terrific shape.

Sources
1 EPA stats in the Detroit News
2 NHTS Report - Do More Vehicles Make More Miles

Cities Release Urban Transportation Report Card

Transportation Alternatives, the Chicagoland Bike Federation, the San
Francisco Bike Coalition and the Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle just
released the first-ever Urban Transportation Report Card, comparing the
four cities' efforts to reduce transport sector greenhouse gas emissions
by switching private motor vehicle trips to biking, walking and transit.

The direct comparison interesting if limited report on how cities that have signed the C-40 initiative.

The report card is online here

Philadelphia is a C-40 City and their climate change action plan is located here. Hopefully we will be working with the above Advocacy Organizations to add Philadelphia to the report next year.