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Featured in this newsletter :
- PSGS 2nd anniversary
- Vote Solar 2010 update
- Chemtrail documentary premiering in Palm Desert
- 350.org - a bittersweet year in review
- Video of the week : Converting plastic back to oil
- The PSGS bulletin board
This week, the following new articles have been added to the Green
Scene "news"
page. Check them out!
- Council should reject Desert Palisases plan
- Nine Leading Cities and Counties Selected to
Help Design Revolutionary Sustainability Performance Management Online
Platform for STAR
- Rain May Disappear from the World's Breadbasket
- Cole Keeps Community Centered
- The Possible Planet
- Italian ban on plastic bags in New Year
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PSGS 2nd anniversary
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !
Celebrating this very new year AND the Palm Springs
Green Scene website and newsletter's second anniversary! Two
years - just a mote of dust in the earth's infinite timelime. No
expectation here of moving mountains, converting all desert residents
into advocates of "local-everything" and "slow-everything", or getting
everyone turning their lawns into organic food gardens or giving up
their hummers for a bicycle for example.
It's more subtle and less visible ... building networks, growing
community, supporting projects, tracking on the pulse of sustainability
in the desert, creating events and community discussions - all of these
activities from which I see the gradual emergence of a truely green and
sustainable culture.
One of the big breakthroughs for the PSGS this year has been the input
from the community - readers submitting articles, bits of news, videos,
tips, stories. This is a VERY welcome trend. The PSGS was created to be
a community platform, and it's comforting to see that it's gradually
taking on that role. Thank you to the readers and contributors, and
keep it coming!
PSGS also recently received a great gift : a logo! Thank you so
much Leslie for taking the initiative and sharing creative ideas!
(Leslie Riggins - Village Market Square)
And thank you many times over for all the moral support and positive feedback received online in 2010:
«A lot of research went into this piece. I appreciate it . . . and signed the petition. keep up the good work . . . PLEASE! ».P.W.
«I
always learn so much about our community and the world thank to
PSGS. Thank you for connecting us to our neighbors and the world.
I will be giving thanks for you and your work on Thursday.» M.B.W.
«Thanks
Geraldine for the update!!! You're Awesome and a tad more even~
Keep me posted! And thanks again for the link to R.R. I've spoken to
him because of your information... R.'s ideas align very well with the
way I would like to see all end users served...Comments appreciated~»
R.L.
«The
newsletter looks great! I love the solar-over-the-freeway idea.
Thanks for all your support and for providing a platform for earth-wise
and community-wise information! »D.P.
«Great stuff as always !! » P.P.
«I am enjoying reading PSGS again. Great work. » P.F.
«Thank
you for your dedication & care. I found the film,
"dirt", provocative and was re-inspired to begin sustainable living on
my small patch. » L.R.
«
I have forwarded this to everyone I know and they are all very
impressed with the newsletter. I am especially grateful for the
wonderful writeup you gave us this week. Not only will it be good
for our business, but it will help our efforts in creating a more green
environmentally friendly culture here in the desert. It is a
pleasure to have such a devoted partner in the cause as you. I
can’t wait to meet you one of these days! » B.M.
«
Thanks for all of your encouragement, not just for this, but for all
the sustainable efforts in the community. You're a good writer, and a
dedicated, seasoned pro -- it definitely shows, and that is hugely
important on this front. We appreciate you big bunches. » L.R.
«
Each of your newsletters are keepers, full of love energy and wisdom
for day to day living........ thank you for giving your heart to this
project. It is immensely appreciated. »W.C.
«
And thank you for sending this newsletter -- I think it's terrific!
Please keep me on your mailing list. I look forward to seeing you again
soon. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help further the
cause. »B.L.
«
I was put on your email list by xyz and I have absolutely loved getting
the information that you send. I got totally wrapped up in the BBC Farm
of the Future videos...I love the idea of living a more sustainable
life and am fascinated by the possibilities. My family and I have a
seasonal garden and I love growing my own food. I want to learn more
and wonder where to start....do you think I should go to the potluck?
Or is there another place to start? » K.R.
«
This is such an excellent e-newsletter! Thank you again for
sending it each week – I forward it on to quite a few people » T.W.
“I am so grateful you put out these Green Scene Newsletters! Awesome!” J.F.
«
Just thought that I would send a message to tell you how much I
appreciate and enjoy your newsletter. It is the only thing like
it in the desert!!! Thank you for doing it. » A.W.
“went
to the palm springs farmers market this morning. the quality is
improving and the number of stands increasing. really fun.
i got all kinds of vegetables not available at stater bros. now i
get to research my cookbooks to find out how to cook them!” --P.W.
"It takes a village"
thank you...
Vote Solar 2010 update
America’s energy problems — from economic crisis to global climate
change — will only be solved by a national transition to renewables.
Clean, homegrown, reliable solar energy is ready to play a large part of
the solution. It is the fastest growing energy source in the world, but
we have still just scratched the surface of solar’s vast energy
potential. In order to bring the technology to scale, we need to bring
down costs. Vote Solar works to build the economies of scale necessary
to bring solar into the mainstream.
The team at Vote
Solar has announed the top 10 (or so) solar wins in 2010. It's
been a big year, and there's a lot to celebrate, they say.
This is a great overview of the solar scene and what initiatives have been moving forward :
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- New 1 GW program for wholesale distributed generation in California
- Colorado raised the bar to 30% renewables
- Big solar got real
- New York got a sign that it's time for solar
- Designed solar-friendly utility rates
- Community solar made its mark
- Solar made inroads in the heartland
- Project Permit helps make permitting better in Arizona
- California avoided this year’s apocalypse, lifted cap on net metering
- Wholesale DG takes off
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“What in The World Are THEY Spraying?”
Palm Desert Premiere of The
New G. Edward Griffin Documentary
Tuesday January 11 at 6:30 pm
Embassy Suites Hotel – Salon 1
74-700 Hwy 111 Palm Desert CA 92260
$5 room cover charge
The Chemtrail/Geo-Engineering Coverup
Produced by G. Edward Griffin,
Michael Murphy, and Paul Wittenberger
By
now everyone has seen crisscrossing streaks of white clouds trailing
behind jet aircraft, stretching from horizon to horizon, eventually
turning the sky into a murky haze. Our innate intelligence tells us
these are not mere vapor trails from jet engines, but no one yet has
probed the questions: WHO is doing this and WHY. With the release of
this video, all of that has changed. Here is the story of a rapidly
developing industry called Geo-engineering, driven by scientists,
corporations, and governments intent on changing global climate,
controlling the weather, and altering the chemical composition of soil
and water – all supposedly for the betterment of mankind. Although
officials insist that these programs are only in the discussion phase,
evidence is abundant that they have been underway since about 1990 –
and the effect has been devastating to crops, wildlife, and human
health. We are being sprayed with toxic substances without our consent
and, to add insult to injury, they are lying to us about it.
For further information contact Melanie St. James @ 760-776-7600
350.org - a bittersweet year in review
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Video of the week
graciously submitted by Kerstin Pollack
Man invents machine which converts plastic back into oil
In
an efficient and safe effort to save us from the ill-effects of plastic
waste, Akinori Ito has developed a machine which converts plastic back
into oil. The machine produced in various sizes, for both industrial
and home uses, can easily transform a kilogram of plastic waste into a
liter of oil, using about 1 kW·h of electricity but without emitting
CO2 in the process. The machine uses a temperature controlling electric
heater instead of flames, processing anything from polyethylene or
polystyrene to polypropylene (numbers 2-4). Comment: 1 kg of
plastic produces one liter of oil, which costs $1.50. This process uses
only about 1 kW·h of electricity, which costs less than 20 cents!
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Prior "Work with the planet, not against it!" postings:
For
millions of years life on Earth has persisted and evolved in concert
with the chemical, physical and biological processes in the
environment. The advent of the Age of Liquid Fossil Fuels brought
humanity the ability to jump start and force-march many of these
processes at terrible cost to the planet's environmental viability. In
the waning days of the Oil Age, it is time for humanity to relearn the
lessons of the past tens of thousands of years of civilization: life,
human and otherwise, on Planet Earth can recover and maintain its
viability and sustainability only as we rediscover working WITH this
planet's environment, animate and inanimate, not against it!" John Cooper
The PSGS bulletin board
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Monday, January 3, 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
Welcoming in the New Year at Cooking with Class
SLOW
FOOD DESERT CITIES JANUARY GATHERING
The Desert Cities
Chapter of Slow Food USA will welcome in the New Year on Monday, January 3, with
a potluck get together at Cooking with Class, the desert’s premier cooking
school. Participants are invited to (but not required to) bring a potluck dish
or beverage. In addition to conversations about food, Cooking with Class’ owner
Andie Hubka and her chef will provide a cooking
demonstration.
The Desert Cities
chapter of Slow Food was formed under the leadership of Rancho La Quinta Chef
Bob Pechous in January of 2007. It is dedicated to educating Slow Food members
and the public about a food system that is good, clean and fair. The Chapter has
concentrated its efforts on building local school gardens, which are essentially
outdoor classrooms providing opportunities for teaching children math, science
and the values of eating locally, seasonally and sustainably through hands-on
projects.
$10 Slow Food
members, $15 non-members. 6:00 – 8:00 pm. 47875 Caleo Bay Dr. (just off of
Washington), La Quinta. Bring a potluck dish or beverage (or don’t – it’s ok)
and mingle with local foodies and
gardeners at the desert's premier cooking school.
RSVP to SlowFoodDesert@aol.com. For more information about Slow Food
Desert Cities, visit www.slowfooddesertcities.org.
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Did the rabbits eat
all your new shoots? Is your compost festering instead of turning into
rich loamy soil? Is your water bill too high? Are you completely new to
gardening and don’t know which end of the spade is up? Transition
Joshua Tree presents “Seeds in the Sand”, an evening potluck with music
by Ted Quinn followed by presentations on growing your own organic food
in the desert. Rhonda Hayes will discuss her 10 years of desert
gardening experience, Douglas Buckley will talk about and demo
sustainable irrigation and Suzanne Nielsen will give the inside story
on composting. The event will take place at the United Methodist
Church, 6213 East Parkway (north side of Park Blvd.) in Joshua Tree on
Sunday, Jan. 16 from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. This event is free with a
suggested donation of any amount that works for you.
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Tuesday,
January 18th Author Lecture: Architect Eric Corey Freed.
Mr. Freed will discuss his book “GreenSense For the Home—Rating the Real Payoff from
50 Green Home Projects”.
Eric Corey Freed is Principal of organicARCHITECT, an
architecture and consulting firm in California, with nearly 20 years of
experience in green building. Eric is a licensed architect (California,
New Mexico, Arizona), and a recognized pioneer in the tradition of Organic Architecture. A sought after public speaker, Eric lectures around the country at 40+
conferences a year, and his work has been featured in Dwell, Metropolis,
Town & Country, Natural Home and Newsweek. He has been seen on
television on HGTV, The Sundance Channel and PBS.
The program will begin at 6:00
p.m. at the Palm Springs Public Library, located at 300 S. Sunrise Way,
on the corner of Baristo and Sunrise in Palm Springs.
A presentation not to be missed!
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Green$ense is an Amazon #1 Bestseller!
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