The Idaho Energy Collaborative is presenting a  Living Energy Festival on Sunday, July 10th at the Shangri-la Tea Room and Cafe Lawn from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

This free event is offering an energy festival, workshops on renewable energy and energy efficiency, and live music. And, if you visit every booth before 3:00 pm, there will be raffle prizes to win!

Some of the businesses and organizations that you can expect to see:
Green Works Idaho, Snake River Alliance, Idaho Conservation League, Renewable Energy NW, Sustainable Community Connections, Treasure Valley Food Coalition, Think Boise First, Think Nampa First, Modus Architecture, Site Based Energy, EV Idaho, U.S. Green Building Council Idaho Chapter, Idaho Rivers United, AltEnergy, Western Energy, 5D LLC, and more!

The process of fracking, as explained on Greenpeace’s website is as follows:

Large shale rock formations lie deep underground throughout much of the US. Some of these shale deposits, including the Marcellus Shale in the Eastern US, contain reserves of natural gas that cannot be exploited using conventional drilling methods.

Hydraulic fracturing involves drilling a deep well vertically into the reservoir formation and then turning it horizontally into the deposit. Sand, water, and chemicals are injected into the rock layer, creating cracks that allow the gas to seep out. These cracks can extend as much as a few hundred meters into the rock from the injection well.

If  it was as simple as that and didn’t pose any great environmental and health concerns, that would be fine. But, it doesn’t. It is only the beginning of numerous potential exposures and hazards created from the total process.

Some exposures are from the numerous chemicals used in the fracking process. There are also dangerous elements that can be brought to the surface during the extraction of the gas from below ground. Additionally, air pollution is created by the equipment used.

Then, there’s the issue of the reducing water resources to local communities. This being due to the fact that the average estimates of water usage at a single gas well using multi-stage hydraulic fracturing range from 2 million gallons and at times as high as 7.8 million gallons.

There have been several, proven and theorized negative health and environmental impacts in most states where fracking has been taking place. Raised levels of methane in water systems, a plethora of health issues, high concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions, to name just a few.

In states such as Pennsylvania, New York, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado, the fracking process has been taking a toll on it’s natural resources and it’s residents. And now, the State of Idaho is currently engaged in entertaining the industry of fracking in southwestern Idaho.

Exploratory wells have been drilled in Payette County and that community is banning together to educate themselves as well as the State Land Board, that this is an industry that has been under-regulated for too long.  Additionally, neighboring Washington County is being very proactive in setting standards and ordinances to protect their beautiful rural community.

The oil and gas industry would like you to believe that they’ve been fracking in these other states for the last 60 years and haven’t generated or seen these issues. The problem with that rationale is, that the methods that they were using up until the 1990’s, were seriously less invasive and hazardous. Additionally and very importantly, they themselves didn’t monitor themselves and the natural resources that they were affecting, to prove or disprove the hazards that fracking has created.

It’s all very political and money driven of course, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. There are far too many issues that were ‘overlooked’ in the past, and they have come back to haunt the people and this planet.

For more in-depth information about how unconventional gas threatens our water, health and climate, there is an excellent website called the Desmogblog. It’s provides factual information about the myths and dangers of fracking.

Idaho residents that would like to become more educated on the issues at hand in that state, can get regular updates from the Idaho Conservation League’s website. Additionally, this author has created a Facebook Group that features the latest information about fracking and protecting Idaho’s natural resources and our future.

This year, when the lights go back on, please think about what you can do beyond the hour to contribute to a more sustainable future.

It is everyone’s responsibility, from the single apartment dweller to large corporations, to find more efficient ways to consume energy. Whether you believe in global warming or not, it’s no secret that our natural resources are dwindling and/or causing damage to our planet. This is a low-cost opportunity to learn about some of the latest technology and alternatives for our energy consumption.

Looking at the program, it appears there is going to be several topics of interest pertaining to renewable energy. And, it is apparent that it won’t just focus specific to commercial or residential issues. There will be discussions on energy issues, renewable energy opportunities, grant writing and more.

There’s quite a line-up of speakers, including Roger Findley from TVCC. The keynote speaker is Mike Grainey, who is the Renewable Energy Advisor to the Director of the Oregon Business Development Department in Salem, OR. Mr Grainey alone, has over 30 years experience with renewable energy issues.

For more specific information about the Summit and to register for it, you can go to Solar Oregon’s website. I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Now, anyone who knows me even a little, knows that I’m definitely no “Debbie Downer”. But, the downside part of the message of this movie was that “We” are depleting what nature provides. All our actions have repercussions on the entire earth, no matter where we are at. After all, 20% of the world’s population, consumes 80% of it’s resources.

WAIT – DON’T LEAVE YET !!

There is some very good news also. What’s important is not what’s gone, but what still remains and how we use it. And, we do that by being responsible consumers.

Please take the time to sit down and watch this spectacular media. You’ll see that near the end, they share numerous positive changes that are being taken worldwide, to improve our planet and save it from global warming. As they said in the movie:

“We all have the power to change, what are we waiting for?”

Click here to watch the movie.

Honestly, I don’t know the answers. But, I’m not naive enough, not to know, that there’s a lot of ’special interest’ involved in these discussions and decisions, (or lack thereof). In the meantime, I have to choose to believe that COP 15 was a launching pad for accelerating efforts and achievements, in dealing with global warming issues.

President Obama stated that there needs to be, “The building of trust between between developed and developing countries.” That ‘trust’ cannot just be bought. It must also be demonstrated by action.

Rhetoric has to be replaced with action. And those actions, are necessary by everyone on this planet, as well as each and every country. Whether those citizens be from a developing or developed country, action is key.

A quote from an associate of mine, Antonio Bettencourt, in a recent LinkedIn discussion, voices my sentiments quite well:

“I suspect that the more aggressive actions we take, the more “moral authority” we will have in the world and the better we will be able to pressure other countries to step up to their obligations.”

Also, as Gandhi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world”. Another way to personalize this is: The more I change, the more I see I can do.

What will you do?

Tyrel Trainor organized this grass roots group to come together last Saturday, at the Saturday Market in Boise, ID. And without his bold step, the rest of the group wouldn’t of had a central point to meet and organize this small but effectual reach out.

Thabata Regiani, a wonderful graphic designer, and a Lead Activist for Greenpeace, lent her talent and skills to the event. Not only did she design our easy-read handout flyer, but she was out on the front lines talking to everyone she could on Saturday.

The group had it’s obstacles, a failing 10×10 canopy that’s on it’s way to recycle & canopy heaven. But, the weather held beautifully and we were inspired throughout the whole event by our local Scottish bagpipers and dancers.

The supply of handouts was almost completely given away at the end of four hours and numerous people stopped to exchange their ideas about preventing Global Warming. It was definitely worth our time, and we’re ready to get out there again, very soon!

First of all, the naysayers in the belief of Global Warming and Climate Change, are definitely vocal! But, what I found to be interesting, is that many of these vocal “experts” that believe in the “global warming hoax”, cross referenced each other quite a bit. All well and good, but many of them weren’t experts, they were just people with opinions against Global Warming.

They do readily cite the writings of one or two global warming skeptics and put all of their eggs into just those baskets. Along with the alleged political issues that they espouse, I found most of their proponents to be more emotional and cause related, than being based on scientific facts.

I believe that the discussion and debate raised recently from the Global Cooling proponents, comes out of a recent NASA report that says there as been cooling on the planet since 1998. That information appears accurate, BUT, there aren’t mentions to the overall pattern of warming and cooling trends, in years preceding 1998. You see, these trends apparently run in “8-year trend lines”, and they have variables. Sometimes the variables are small, sometimes large, sometimes significant, and sometimes not so significant. But, overall, the “trends” have continued to move up higher on the annual global-mean GISTEMP temperature record.

The sources that I gleaned this information from, were based on scientific studies and people who have an education and employment history, in biological and environmental issues. All of their sources were linked back to other credible scientific sources, opposed to the other side of the fence.

True, a scientist or expert, I’m not. But, what I am, is a concerned contributor and inhabitant to planet Earth, and I love Her dearly. I want only the best decisions made in Her behalf. Therefore, I will continue to share what I can, with whomever will listen.

Today, October 15, 2009, bloggers around the world are uniting by writing blog posts to raise awareness about environmental issues. Specifically, we want to put it out in front of every person, in every corner of the planet, that climate change and global warming are forces that must be reckoned with.

Scientists, environmentalists and politicians have already acknowledged the issue of global warming. But, what is still up for debate, is what extent will Global Warming really have on the planet and our quality of life.

To address the issues of Climate Change and Global Warming, there will be UN Climate negotiations in Copenhagen, this coming December. Non-governmental organizations, delegates and businesses from every nation will meet to finalize a climate change agreement. But, there are concerns, that these decision-makers may not lay out a stringent enough agreement. Thus, allowing negative climate issues to increase faster than the positive steps being taken, to combat it.

In preparation for this upcoming landmark meeting, there will be events all over the world on October 24th, which is 6 weeks prior to the UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen. In conjunction with United Nations Day, it will be a international day to address climate action. Communities around the world will be holding rallies to let their leaders know what kind of action they need to take on climate change.

There isn’t a better time than right now, to become educated and be heard about these potentially catastrophic issues for us and our planet. October 24th is just a little over a week away, so the time is now. Find a local event in your community, which will be participating in the International Day of Climate Action. I’ve also listed below some websites for you to check for more information about climate change. Please don’t hesitate to seek out even more info from the never-ending database of knowledge, via the internet.

Once you’ve located an October 24th event in your area, please make a commitment to be there. And, let us know where you’ll be and what you’ve learned. The action we choose to take, may very well influence the environment that our children’s children will be left with.

350.org
Act For Climate Justice
United Nations