America, you and our members
ideas, practices, and holistic, system-
changing solutions that are leading to
a more just and sustainable future.
and people who take practical action,
you're leading the way on recycling,
Fair Trade, curbing climate change,
stopping sweatshops, supporting local
communities, saying "no" to irrespon-
sible corporate practices and "yes"
to growing the green economy. Even
when others said that these ideas were
impractical, you kept to it, providing
the information and the example--
inviting everyone to join in to help
create a better world. And it's working!
country. Thanks to decades of creating
awareness--making news and making
waves--more and more people now
understand that we do indeed share
a small planet, and are ready to do
their part.
businesses get ready to take action, we
need to help them take sensible action.
Action Plan to address climate change
at the speed and scale required by the
climate crisis. In our plan, we empha-
size the importance of energy efficiency
and renewable energy--and how they
can do the job in the building and
electricity sectors. When it comes to
transportation, we underscore the im-
portance of fuel efficiency, driving less,
and transitioning to zero-emissions
vehicles. In agriculture, our plan
includes choosing local, organic food
and eating low on the food chain
(special thanks to vegetarians and
vegans). And it means stopping
deforestation, period.
for no more new coal or nuclear plants.
Since last fall, climate scientists, many
in the environmental community, and
call for a moratorium on coal-fired
plants. And as more information about
nuclear power comes to light, more
people are learning that it is indeed
too dangerous (starting with nuclear
waste and ending with proliferation)
and too slow--we can't build enough
nuclear plants fast enough to make a
dent in climate change.
the way when it comes to climate
solutions. Delving into the question
of how we are going to fuel our cars
going forward, we help you make
choices about the new fuels that are
emerging on the scene--from ethanol
in electric hybrids. We underscore
the importance of fuel efficiency and
driving less--these are the first steps
when it comes to transportation. And
then we help you sort out the claims
and counterclaims for the other fuels.
hydrogen and corn ethanol.
Hydrogen isn't an energy source--you
have to manufacture it. If you make
if from coal, it is a disaster for the
climate. And while producing it with
renewables would make it a low-
carbon fuel, the cost (in both carbon
and economic terms) of building a
hydrogen infrastructure will be too
expensive--and take too long to
address climate change.
corn ethanol makes an insignificant con-
tribution to climate solutions, especially
when you factor in the climate pollution
growing the corn and manufacturing
the ethanol.
ous as the peak oil or climate crises. It
could cause a "peak food" crisis that
would be as dangerous for our country
as our dependence on foreign oil. The
human suffering would be tragic.
Institute, converting the entire US corn
harvest to ethanol would satisfy only
16 percent of our total US fuel needs. It
would also send corn prices skyrocket-
ing, hiking up the prices of everything
from beef to soda (and every product
containing corn syrup). Working fami-
lies around the world will not be able
to afford to eat.
that get over 100 miles per gallon. If
we charge these cars at night, the Na-
tional Renewable Energy Lab says that
we can run 73 percent of the daily com-
mutes for all US light-duty vehicles (i.e.
cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans) without
building a single new power plant. And
we can add wind power at night or
solar during the day to make up the rest.
Plug-in hybrid electric cars are here,
now--we just need to make it a priority
to get them to market. Together, we
helped create the market for the gasoline
hybrids like the Prius. People love
them--let's use them as the door
openers for plug-in electric vehicles.
raise your voice to insist that our coun-
try stop going down the corn ethanol
path. Most people simply don't know
about the problems of corn ethanol or
the promise of the plug-in electric ve-
hicles. Once again, let's lead the way.