The WE Can Do It Campaign

Part of Live Earth

8/17/08
Hi there,
I want to make sure you know about a new ad that started airing today. "Free Us" starts with the phrase 'To our leaders,' and will air during both upcoming political conventions. It completes an important shift in the We Campaign's messaging.
Watch the ad.
This new ad focuses specifically on the challenge to Repower America by generating 100% of our electricity from clean sources within 10 years. This was also true of our recently seen "Switch" ad (watch the "Switch" ad.) These ads, along with the T. Boone Pickens' media buy mean that millions of Americans are now hearing about big goals - with real targets and immediate timelines. The notion that the best way to rebuild our economy is to make a dramatic shift in our energy mix is now getting critical attention.
"Free Us" takes a different tone from our previous ads. While the first We Campaign ads offered a general invitation to the movement for climate solutions, this ad issues a direct challenge. While showing what a transformed economy looks like, the ad also hints at a transformation among the American people. It explicitly moves from a request to a demand.
Have a look. And there's more on the way.
Best,Giselle
Director of Communications
www.wecansolveit.org

We're thrilled about Al Gore's new WE Campaign website http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/m/6fb649c07e5656ff/8b51Tj/VEsE/. The WE Campaign is a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore, which we launched with our first Live Earth concert on 7.07.07. The WE Campaign's ultimate aim is to halt global warming. They are beginning with educating people in the US and around the world that the climate crisis is both urgent and solvable.

On the new WE Campaign site you can:
Sign the petition for a global treaty on climate change
Tell your friends about the latest WE Campaign video
Urge the press to ask candidates about global warming
Ask lenders to consider climate impact when funding new coal plants We'll update you on the WE Campaign regularly - and watch for their broadcast and online advertisements!

WHAT'S GREENER? To bamboo, or not to bamboo?

...that is the question. Is bamboo the answer for your flooring needs? Does bamboo damage the environment? Tell us about how you're using bamboo in and around your home on our blog. Have you found bamboo products you swear by? Check back soon for a report back from our Green Team. http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/m/6fb649c07e5656ff/cEO5nG/VEsHBA==/ (Still haven't gotten around to that spring cleaning? Check out last week's topic: What's Greener? Buying green cleaning products, or making your own? http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/m/6fb649c07e5656ff/8gcqq4/VEsHBw==/ )

Earth Day is coming: Call for Climate!
Earth Day is right around the corner - April 22nd! In the next few weeks, take a minute and Call for the Climate! Let our leaders know if they want to keep their jobs, they have to do something, something big and bold, to solve climate change. What should you ask them to do?

Take these ideas from the Live Earth Pledge:

Demand that our country join an international treaty within the next two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
Ask them to fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
Tell them to work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of homes, workplaces, schools, places of worship, and means of transportation;
Encourage them to pass laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

If you are in the US...

White House - 202.456.1111
Capitol Hill (our Capitol Hill Operators are really helpful, don't be afraid to call and ask for your Member of Congress!!) 202.224.3121

If you are outside the US - call your president, legislators, and local officials. Check back soon on the Earth Day site (www.earthday.net) for more information on Earth Day events and the progress of "Call for Climate"!

You can sign up to receive our press releases here.
Do you have a blog, and are you interested in hearing about special news from the We Campaign? Click here to tell us about your blog, and we'll periodically send you breaking news and relevant information.
You can also subscribe to our Press and Blogger RSS feed to also get our press releases and other press-related content.
Resources
We Campaign fact sheet
We Campaign FAQ
Download the Alliance and We logos (other downloads here)
Watch our television ad
Check out our latest print ads here and here.

Live Earth Project

Take The Pledge
4/16/08
http://www.liveearth.org/?p=358

Spring Cleaning - What’s the Greener Solution?

It’s official! Spring has sprung!! As of March 20th, the time has come to open up the blinds, air out the linens and whistle while you work! Just like Mary Poppins! Which brings us to our topic for today:

If a person wants to Spring Clean “Green,” is it better to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products or make your own?

According to www.naturalproductsmarket.com, the average American uses approximately 40 pounds of toxic household cleaning products every year. You’d think things would smell better, wouldn’t you? These products contain loads of super fun ingredients like: neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system depressants, heavy metals and other garbage linked to cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergic reactions and behavioral problems. Yikes! And all these pretty things end up in the air, the water and ultimately our bodies. So let’s take a look at some alternatives that are good for you, the environment and your wallet.

Homemade Cleaning Products
You can pretty much make any cleaning product you might need from these three ingredients: lemons, baking soda and vinegar.

Lemons
Lemons are acidic and therefore contain anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties, plus they cut grease, dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits and can be mixed with baking soda and vinegar to make a nifty cleaning paste. Lemon juice is also very effective for removing stains from counter-tops and for cleaning copper and brass, especially if you add a little salt to the mix.

Vinegar
Vinegar is another extremely effective cleaning agent and disinfectant and can be used as an all-purpose cleaner by combining one part vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle. If you don’t like the smell, you can mellow it by adding lemon juice.

Baking Soda
Then there’s baking soda, which appears to be the Universal Cleanser. You can use it in your dishwasher, on your counter tops, on bathroom tile, even in the toilet. You can use it to freshen and unclog drains, as a furniture polish, to clean pots and pans and microwaves and as a deodorizer for the fridge, the garbage, shoes, laundry, the list goes on. And of course, you can brush you teeth with it and make a cake!
A great resource for homemade cleaning recipes can be found compliments of Sarah Aguire at housekeeping.about.com. Here’s a few to get you started.

All Purpose Cleaner
Make a solution of 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1 gallon of hot water to clean grease and grime as well as eliminate odor.

Unclogging and Freshening Drains
Option #1
Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar. Try heating the vinegar in the microwave before adding it to the drain. Wait 5 minutes before flushing the drain with 2 quarts of hot water. You can repeat this process a few times if it is necessary. If this is the first time you have cleaned your drain in a long time it may be necessary to repeat the baking soda flush a couple of times.

Option #2
Try pouring 1 Cup of baking soda and 1/2 Cup of salt down the drain. Let this mixture sit in the drain for several hours, overnight is best, before flushing the drain with 2 cups of boiling water.

Clean the microwave
Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with water in a microwave safe cup. Boil in the microwave for a few minutes. The insides of the microwave will be damp and easy to clean with a paper towel or dishcloth. This has the added benefit of removing odors that may be clinging to your microwave oven.

Non-toxic Ready-Made Cleansers
With the boom of environmental awareness (and babies), consumers are demanding products that safe to be around, effective at getting the job done and friendly to the environment. Needles to say, the number of non-toxic, environmentally friendly products now available has multiplied in leaps and bounds. Some of the best and most readily available are:
Seventh Generation
Ecover
Green Mountain
Mrs. Meyers
biokleen

Method
Most recently, former not-so-green Clorox and the Sierra Club have partnered to create a new product line called Green Works, which makes a whole line of non-toxic cleaners made from plant based ingredients.

So what’s greener? Making your own, of course - less impact from shipping and production and fewer plastic bottles. But we understand that people are busy so do what works for you. Buying ready made, eco-smart products are certainly greener than buying toxic, chemicals any day.

From Leslie
I ordered 3 little books out of a catalog - something like Carol Wright (I'm disabled and don't get out to stores). They have some pretty stupid filler stuff, but many good suggestions...

Over 100 Helpful Household Hints Heinz Distilled White Vinegar - isbn-13: 978-1-4127-1212-5
Ditto - Salt - isbn-13: 978-1-4124-1213-2
Ditto - Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda - isbn-13: 978-1-4127-1211-8

11/1 Live Earth Information

CLIMATE CRISIS SOLUTION: TONE IT DOWN
If we recycled another 10% of our printer and toner cartridges, we would cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million pounds -- the equivalent of taking 10,000 cars off the road for an entire year! Find out more at http://liveearth.org/

Step It Up is asking people across America to organize rallies in their communities this Saturday, November 3 (one year from Election Day, 2008) to demand leadership on global warming. It's our best shot at getting past campaign trail and Capitol Hill sound bites and getting down to a strategy for solving global warming. This is your chance to help us take this call for a clean energy future to the next level. Attend a November 3 event in your community. Click here for a complete list of November 3 rallies nationwide.

Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth.

Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, the Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, an event that brought together one of the largest audiences in history to combat poverty. Wall formed a partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to ensure that Live Earth inspires behavioral changes long after 7/7/07.

Live Earth will stage official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.

Live Earth concerts will be broadcast to a live worldwide audience by MSN at http://www.liveearth.msn.com/ .

With support from the U.S. Green Building Council, creators of the LEED Green Building Rating System, Live Earth will implement new Green Event Guidelines. All Live Earth venues will be designed and constructed by a team of sustainability engineers who will address the environmental and energy management challenges of each concert site, as well as the operations of sponsors, partners and other Live Earth affiliates. Each venue will not only be designed to maintain a minimum environmental impact, but will showcase the latest state-of-the-art energy efficiency, on-site power generation, and sustainable facilities management practices.

Live Earth is a project of the SOS campaign, which is using a powerful multimedia platform - films, television, radio, Internet, books, wireless and others - to move people to combat the climate crisis.

For more information - News and Tools
http://www.liveearth.org/news.php

News from Al Gore:
Moving Beyond Kyoto July 1, 2007 : 6:27 AM
WE -- the human species -- have arrived at a moment of decision. It is unprecedented and even laughable for us to imagine that we could actually make a conscious choice as a species, but that is nevertheless the challenge that is before us.

Our home -- Earth -- is in danger. What is at risk of being destroyed is not the planet itself, but the conditions that have made it hospitable for human beings.

Without realizing the consequences of our actions, we have begun to put so much carbon dioxide into the thin shell of air surrounding our world that we have literally changed the heat balance between Earth and the Sun. If we don’t stop doing this pretty quickly, the average temperature will increase to levels humans have never known and put an end to the favorable climate balance on which our civilization depends.

Read the rest of my article in today's New York Times.

Focus The Nation

FOCUS THE NATION - Coming in January!

Focus the Nation is organizing a national teach-in on global warming solutions for America--creating a dialogue at over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations and businesses, and directly engaging millions of students and citizens with the nation's decision-makers. Focus the Nation will culminate January 31st, 2008 in simultaneous educational symposia held across the country. You can participate by hosting a showing of a free, live, interactive webcast called "The 2% SOLUTION" on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30TH at 8 PM EASTERN. Join Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, green jobs pioneer Van Jones, and youth climate leaders for a discussion of global warming solutions.

Find out more at http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/m/6f020579cc3bb9a7/ue1xyl/

1/15/08 Found on The Grist.org

Focus, People, Focus Join the largest teach-in ever and help fight climate change On Jan. 31, more than 1,300 colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, faith organizations, civic groups, and businesses will join together in the biggest national teach-in in U.S. history, Focus the Nation: Global-Warming Solutions for America. If you're not already on board, well, what are you waiting for? Eban Goodstein, director of Focus the Nation, explains how (and why) to get involved.

see also, in Gristmill: Focus the Nation, save the planet -- now!

Live Earth Carbon Foot Print

11/1
Last week, we released the Carbon Assessment and Footprint report documenting our environmental performance on 07-07-07. This is the first time that an event of this magnitude has measured and presented its impact in such a detailed report. In an effort to offer another means of viewing this data, we partnered with Visible Strategies of Vancouver, Canada to graphically display the data of our Carbon Footprint in their interactive "see-it" reporting tool. With this tool, you can easily interact with the data, compare each city's results and read interesting stories about how each venue managed in the areas of energy, transportation and waste by venue. Please visit the see-it tool and start clicking!

Pre-Event Estimates
The media cited a variety of estimates before the concerts. On concert day, the Daily Mail quoted an estimate of 31,500 tons of carbon emissions for the global event footprint (including attendee transport), and a waste estimate of 1,025 tons. Internal estimates were generated as well to assess the success of reduction strategies and act as a safeguard to large number variances.
In June, Live Earth produced a final pre-event internal estimate of 18,526 tons, after most reduction strategies were planned and long-term changes were in place, but before the results of concert-day reductions could be known.

Post-Event Calculations
After the Live Earth concerts, we calculated our estimated gross carbon emissions, throughout
our ten-month planning and execution process (and including the concert day itself) at 19,708 tons.

Live Earth’s post-event calculations of our estimated emissions were significantly below all pre-event external estimates in every category except for audience travel. Our actual carbon footprint was roughly 40% below the estimate quoted in the Daily Mail.

Additionally, we generated only about one-tenth the amount of waste that was expected, and of the waste we did generate, 81% was diverted from landfills to be composted or recycled.

As is typical for live events, a great majority (86%) of the estimated emissions were generated
by the nearly 1 million people attending the concerts. Energy use and air travel by Live Earth staff and artists combine to make up the next three largest categories: electricity and fuel use

Achievements by Others

The NFL Super Bowl has been phasing in “green” practices for several years. The carbon accounting for the 2006 Super Bowl measured the impact of selected emissions-generating activities.

The carbon equivalent measured for those activities was roughly 500 tons, with about 70% attributed to the NFL transportation fleet used to shuttle NFL guests around the host city, and 30% attributed to electricity use at the venue.

Likewise, the producers of the 79th Academy Awards took impressive steps to “green” the telecast and related events. Carbon accounting was only one of the environmental issues addressed in the course of producing the Oscars, which also part of the Oscars’ focus, which also included species extinction, deforestation, toxic waste, and environmental pollution. The carbon accounting focused primarily on energy use.

Because they were multi-venue events like Live Earth, the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 Olympics are worth reviewing. The 2006 World Cup games in Germany saw 3.4 million attendees at 64 games in 12 cities. The World Cup greenhouse gas accounting captured approximately 92,000 tons of carbon equivalents and the World Cup generated approximately 1,494 tons of waste.

The 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy provide another basis for comparison. The Games consisted of 16 days of competition with 342 Olympic Medal events in 3 Olympic Villages. The carbon accounting considered transportation by teams, officials, sponsors, volunteers and media to and within the Olympic Villages (but not travel by spectators), preparation, operation and dismantling of accommodations and venues, and transportation for waste management. Total carbon emissions measured 106,000 tons, and the Games generated 1,212 tons of waste.

Associated Organizations

Alliance for Climate Protection
The Alliance is a new organization engaged in an unprecedented public education campaign on both the urgency and the solvability of the climate crisis.

Building on the momentum of “An Inconvenient Truth,” our objective is to persuade individuals, communities, states, and corporations across the world to begin to quickly reduce their own greenhouse pollution in order to become “carbon neutral.” Furthermore, The Alliance is working to move the US past a tipping point, beyond which political and business leaders and all sectors of civil society compete to offer policies and programs that will sharply reduce emissions.

Through an innovative combination of communication platforms—like Live Earth—and an influential collection of supporters that includes the environmental community, key leaders in business, the entertainment industry, hunters, labor and many others, the Alliance will reach new audiences that until now have not engaged in solving the climate crisis.

The Climate Group
The Climate Group is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing business
and government leadership on climate change, based in the US, UK and Australia and operating internationally.

The Climate Group convened last summer’s roundtable discussion with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prime Minister Tony Blair and a select group of prominent CEOs and business leaders from leading California and international companies to share ideas on how business and government can work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The roundtable resulted in a historic cooperation agreement between the UK and California to advance the deployment of clean energy and clean technologies and a Leadership Statement on Climate Change signed by twelve of the participating CEOs.

I Count
I Count is the campaign of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, which brings together over 50 of the UK’s most respected organisations passionate about climate change. With a combined experience of over 700 years and a supporter base of over 4 million, the campaign is showing the public and politicians that climate change is not too big a problem to fix.

The campaign has created a range of compelling ways to inspire individuals to reduce their carbon footprint in work, rest and play and a public platform to demand that the UK government keep within the widely accepted global warming danger threshold of 2 degrees C.
As the NGO partner for LIVE EARTH UK, I Count will transform all the awareness and excitement generated by the concert, into individual action and positive pressure on politicians.

Avaaz.org
Avaaz.org is a new multi-issue online network that provides opportunities for citizens of every country to take concerted action on urgent global problems like climate change, poverty, and human rights. Its mission is to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decisions.

It operates in 12 languages. Launched in January 2007, Avaaz.org has grown to more than 1 million members hailing from every nation in the world. Avaaz means “voice” in several European, Middle Eastern, and Asian languages.

Campaign Sponsors and Partners

Recycling at Live Earth Johannesburg.
Climate Action Partnership
CAP is an alliance between major conservation
organizations in South Africa who have a common vision of reducing the impact of climate change on South Africa’s unique natural diversity. CAP aims to reduce species extinctions by planning for climate change, for example by incorporating conservation corridors into South African landscapes, allowing species to shift their ranges in response to changes in climatic conditions.
CAP also works to reduce South Africans’ carbon footprints and in addition offers carbon footprint offset opportunities through forest rehabilitation projects in South Africa, benefiting the climate while at the same time increasing habitat for forest species and creating jobs for rural communities.

Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs e Movimentos Sociais
The Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements
for the Environment and the Development (FBOMS) was created in 1990 in order to facilitate the participation of civil society in the process of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92). FBOMS mission is the harmonization between social, economic and environmental questions aiming at sustainable development, seeking to achieve a fair, equal and environmentally sound society.
FBOMS Brazil has more than 550 member organizations, both NGOs and social movements from all across Brazil.

ICLEI
ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of 1,000 local governments,
including more than 250 in the United States, working to advance sustainable development
and climate protection. Since 1990, ICLEI has helped local governments set and reach tangible
goals with positive results for their communities.
When it comes to global warming, ICLEI’s members provide leadership at the local, national and global scale and are proving that local action can indeed move the world.

United Nations Environment Programme
UNEP’s China office in Beijing works closely with the State Environmental Protection Administration
of China (SEPA) and other ministries, international agencies and nongovernmental organizations in implementing programmes in environmental assessment, law, education and training, management, technology transfer and innovation, and natural disaster prevention. It also helps to develop and support projects under the Global Environment Facility, an international fund to address climate change, biodiversity, land degradation, transboundary water and chemical management issues.

World Future Council
The World Future Council is a new voice in the global political arena—one that draws on our shared human values to champion the rights of future generations, and works to ensure that humanity acts now for a sustainable future. The Council unites fifty highly respected figures from across the globe and from all walks of life to create a strong ethical voice to represent future generations.
Selected through a global consultation process involving 2,500 civil society organisations, the Council members bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise. Coming together to identify the key issues of the day, the Council draws on this knowledge and experience to set the agenda for the activities of the WFC.

World Wildlife Fund
For more than 45 years, the World Wildlife Fund has been protecting the future of nature. The largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF’s unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.