Path To Paris – Environment California Says, Bonjour!

(posted by Paige Donner)

SAVE THE DATE!
Environment California’s 11th Annual Spring Event: Path to Paris

Saturday, May 16th, noon to 2:00 pm
at the lovely Brentwood home of actor Donna Mills

RSVP: EnvironmentCalifornia.org/SpringEvent

Please join Environment California for lunch, drinks and stimulating conversation to help elevate California’s global warming solutions leading up to the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.

Special guest speaker: Sen. Fran Pavley, climate solutions leader and author of California’s game-changing Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32

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The Path To Paris

Global warming is the most critical issue of our time. With the U.N. Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris this December, there is a sense that if the world can unite around solving global warming, we can stave off the worst impacts.

In the lead-up to Paris, Gov. Brown and the leaders of the California legislature have outlined an aggressive path by which California can continue its leadership with these statewide goals:

• Increase the amount of electricity from renewable sources to 50 percent;
• Reduce the amount of petroleum used by our vehicles by 50 percent; and
• Increase the energy efficiency of existing buildings by 50 percent—all by 2030.

But the oil companies and the utilities are fighting every step of the way. Environment California is working this year to build the public support needed to pass legislation to turn these critical climate goals into reality — for our health and our future. Join us for a provocative conversation on how we can lead the way!

Sponsorship Opportunties

Ambassador to Paris $15,000 (Includes 10 event & 10 VIP reception tickets)
Partner $10,000 (Includes 8 event & 8 VIP reception tickets)
Friend $5,000 (Includes 6 event & 6 VIP reception tickets)
Supporter $2,500 (Includes 5 event & 5 VIP reception tickets)
Host $1,250 (Includes 5 event tickets)
Individual Ticket $200

HOST COMMITTEE (in formation) Join the hosts of the 2015 Spring Event and other friends of Environment California.
Ed Asner Ed Begley, Jr. Barbara Bosson Peter Coyote Chayse Dacoda Glen Dake, Renee Dake Wilson & Brian Wilson Rosario Dawson Fran Diamond Frances Fisher David Freeman Catherine Geanuracos Anna Getty Tom Hayden & Barbara Williams Marshall Herskovitz Peter Horton Wendy James Katharine King Sharon Lawrence	Rachelle Lefevre Mia Lehrer Debbie Levin Wendie Malick Wally Marks Sara Nichols Chris Paine Douglas H. Phelps John Quigley Akasha Richmond & Alan Schulman Jamie Rosenthal Wolf, David Wolf, Rick Rosenthal & Nancy Stephens & the The Rosenthal Family Foundation Kyra Sedgwick Amy Smart & Carter Oosterhouse Barbra Streisand Margery Tabankin & Earl Katz Tom & Janet Unterman Wendy Wendlandt & Cliff Latimer Roger & Nori Wolfson
Environment California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(4) environmental advocacy organization dedicated to protecting California’s air, water and open spaces. Contributions or gifts to Environment California, Inc. are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Donations may be used for political purposes such as supporting or opposing candidates. No funds will be earmarked or reserved for any political purpose. More information about Environment California, Inc. may be obtained by contacting the organization at: 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 385, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

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Hollande Sets Ambitious CO2 Emissions Reductions Goals For France And EU

Paris – Francois Hollande, France’s President, last Friday (Sept. 14, 2012), announced that under his watch, environmental issues will be placed at the top of the national, and even international, political agenda. His announcement was issued during La Conférence Environnementale, an annual environmental conference held in Paris.

His most ambitious statement issued is his recommendation to cut CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 and 60% by 2040 at the European Union level. Current EU targets are 20% reduction of 1990 levels by 2020.

Hollande stated that he would like to see more global dialogue on environmental issues, citing the lack of a renewed agreement on climate goals reached internationally so far makes this an urgent and important matter. The Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of this year so climate talks are expected to once again take priority at the upcoming November Doha COP 18 conference. According to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, CO2 emissions rose by 3.2% last year to 31.6 billion tons, spurred by increases from China.

More initiatives he announced/ launched:

• New tenders for solar and offshore wind power by end of 2012.
• Closing of Fessenheim’s Nuclear Power Plant by end of 2016.  
• Rejected applications for shale gas exploration.
• Cut France’s nuclear power from 75% to 50% by 2025.

 

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March 31st 8:30 pm – The Lights Go Off!

Earth Hour Global Slideshow – Click HERE

More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour last year alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.

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Global Colding

Click Here to Watch 30-sec Video

Click Here to Watch 30-sec Video

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A Paris Hotel’s Green Redo

by Paige Donner 

Originally published on Traveling Greener Jan. 2012

A room with a view in Paris. Photo credit: Hotel Eiffel Trocadéro.

Paige Donner wrote this post about Hotel Eiffel Trocadéro in Paris. She is a Travel Writer for Fodor’s Paris Travel Guidebook and consults on Eco-Tourism.

In Paris, Place du Trocadéro has long needed a swanky, new boutique hotel.

With the top-to-bottom, refurbished Hotel Eiffel Trocadéro, the neighborhood has just deservedly been gifted a lovely gem.

The Hotel Eiffel Trocadéro is a green hotel, though you would never guess it with its sedated use of jewel-toned color-accents such as ginger-gold and turquoise velvet all made from ethically-sourced textiles.  Read MORE here…

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Renewable Energy Goes Round…And Round

 

In Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, on the banks of the Seine, there is a Carrousel that is now powered by renewable energy.

Renewable Energy Carrousel, Paris - photo by Paige Donner copyright 2011

All photos by Paige Donner copyright 2011

This City of Light is filled with carrousels. You can find them across the street from the Eiffel Tower, on the other side of the river at the foot of Trocadero, in the vast courtyard of the Hotel de Ville and many more locations throughout the city. But this one, just underneath the Eiffel Tower, is the city’s flagship Renewable Energy Carrousel. Its LED lights are the same color as the flickering lights that have the Tour Eiffel twinkling on the hour every evening.

On a recent sunny, Autumn day filled with the scent of fallen leaves, the carrousel was itself twinkling in the afternoon sunlight. And FYI – during the Christmas Holiday week, many of the carrousels are free for children to ride on.

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Revenge of The Electric Vehicle

Friends!

I’m pleased to announce that our new doc, Revenge of the Electric Car, begins its national theatrical rollout next week starting October 21 in LA and NY and then in 20+ cities over the next month (see list below).

If you’re in Los Angeles, please join us for our opening week launch at Landmark’s NuArt and our Opening Weekend Airstream Lounge Party!

Opening Week Screenings
11272 Santa Monica Blvd, West LA, CA 90025

Fri–Sat-Sun: 12:30 PM, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50 (Oct. 21-23)
Mon-Thurs: 5:10 PM, 7:30, 9:50 (Oct. 24-27)

Tickets available now via this site:
https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/ticketing.aspx?theatreid=209

Opening Weekend Airstream Lounge Party
Sat-Sun: 2PM – 10PM

To support our opening weekend in LA on October 22-23, we’re bringing in the electric cars from the movie and setting up shop in a vintage Airstream around the corner from the NuArt Theater. You’ll find us next to Sideshow Books at 11323 Idaho Avenue. The Airstream Lounge is our all weekend drop-in cast and crew party for friends, media makers, and well-wishers. Come on by anytime from 2:30PM to 9:30PM to say hello to Gadget, Scarlett and other stars from our team, check out the EVs (Tesla, Leaf, Volt and Porsche), and hang out with us between screenings

Co-Host a Screening at a Theater

If your group would like to co-host one of our public screenings at the NuArt (or anywhere else during run of theater), we’ll try to set it up with you. Choose a show-time from the list above (if LA), then send us an email and let us know about how many people you’d like to host. We’ll try to arrange to have a Q&A with someone from the film there with you at your show. So far we have screenings with Causecast, Bioneers, GADA, LA Burning Man, the Black Rock Yearbook, Plugin America and Global Green.

Thanks to everyone for spreading the word and making our opening week a success!

Best,

CHRIS PAINE
Director

FORWARD THIS TO A FRIEND SHARE ON TWITTER POST ON FACEBOOK BRING YOUR ORGANIZATION TO SEE ‘REVENGE’ OCTOBER 21ST, 2011 Los Angeles, CA – Landmark Nuart New York, NY – Landmark Sunshine Cinema OCTOBER 28TH, 2011 Nashville, TN – The Belcourt Theatre NOVEMBER 4TH, 2011 Berkeley, CA – Landmark Shattuck Cinemas Boston, MA – Landmark Kendell Square Cinema Palo Alto, CA – Landmark Aquarius Theatre Portland, OR – Hollywood Theatre San Francisco, CA – Landmark Embarcadero Santa Fe, NM – Center for the Contemporary Arts Scottsdale, AZ – Harkins Theatres Camelview 5 NOVEMBER 7TH, 2011 Annville, PA – Allen Theatre NOVEMBER 11TH, 2011 Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theatre Chicago, IL – Gene Siskel Film Center Detroit, MI – Landmark Main Art Theatre Houston, TX – Alamo Theatres Mason Park Minneapolis, MN – Landmark Lagoon Cinema Sacramento, CA – Crest Theatre San Diego, CA – Landmark Ken Cinema Santa Rosa, CA – Summerfield Theatre Seattle, WA – Landmark Varsity Theatre NOVEMBER 18TH, 2011 Philadelphia, PA – Landmark Ritz at the Bourse NOVEMBER 23RD, 2011 St. Louis, MO – Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema NOVEMBER 25TH, 2011 Denver, CO – Landmark Chez Artiste Washington, DC – Landmark E Street Cinema DECEMBER 2ND, 2011 Atlanta, GA – Landmark Midtown Art Cinema JANUARY 5TH, 2011 Honolulu, HI – Honolulu Academy of the Arts Request the film for your city

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Paris For Peace And Yoga

Modeled after the NYC Day of Yoga, free and open to willing participants, Paris organizers of the event admitted they’d had 6,500 people sign up on the website to attend this morning’s hour-long practice in the 7th Arrondissement, en plein air. They had organized for and expected 2000 participants. 

The practice was led in both English and French and an elegant Cellist played on stage, accompanying the entire session with live sitar-like music. Practitioners were from all ages, mature to the young, and attendees included mothers with infants, families with children, young couples, men, women and even a few of our furry friends. 

Sponsors of the event which included BeYoga, Go Sport, SportForUs.com, Soy Joy, Lole, VaiVai and the Mairie de Paris, passed out complimentary yoga mats, t-shirts, energy bars, coconut water and tea and re-usable tote bags. 

On this gorgeous October Sunday morning of Paris Fashion Week, a yoga respite en plein air was a welcomed and stimulating detox! Namaste!!

All photos by Paige Donner c. 2011

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Un-Analytics: How Google Went Solar

Google said it could not detect bad panels unless 20% or more of the panels went bad. And we call that monitoring? by Dan Auld Google loves talking about a world before analytics — when web owners knew almost nothing about their sites. Nothing useful, anyway. That all changed when a new technology came along that allowed web owners to monitor their sites as much as they wanted. Any time they wanted. Web sites suddenly became a business proposition, not just an enthusiasm for a few hobbyists. Flash forward from the introduction of Google Analytics up to 2007, when Google got into the solar business and opened a 1.65 megawatt photovoltaic power array. The largest commercial system in the world at the time. Just like web sites before Analytics, Google would soon learn how little it actually knew about its solar array. After its panels were up for 15 months, Google cleaned them and documented its efforts in a report called “Getting the most energy out of Google’s solar panels.” On several sections of its array, solar energy output doubled after the cleaning. Eight months later, energy output went up 37 percent after another cleaning. But here comes the money graph: It would be difficult to detect manufacturer defects or accidental damage by data analysis alone, unless the damage impacts >~20% of the solar panels in that building. Example: There have been few occasions when some of the solar panels … were damaged by delivery trucks accidentally hitting the support beams that hold up the solar panels. Since these accidents did not damage a sizable portion of the solar panels, the damage went undetected for a while. Losing 50 percent of your power is real money, even for Google. “Just like the web prior to Analytics, Google had to admit it really did not know what was happening in its array — because it had no way to monitor when good panels went bad,” said Mark Yarbrourgh, a city councilman in Perris, California who pioneered the use of solar in public buildings. “But neither does anyone else. Arrays malfunction and no one knows because they do not use monitors at the panel level.” Undetected, solar panels go bad in all sorts of ways. Panels degrade anywhere from .5% to 9.5% a year, depending on the manufacturer, says Sandia Laboratories in a study for the Department of Energy. How will you know what your panels will do? Warranty Week Magazine says you won’t. Not really: ” And yes, it really is guesswork.” Dirt plays even more havoc. If not dirt, a bird dropping, or a baseball, or a golfball, or a rock, or a squirrel chewing a wire, or a Texas oak thick with pollen, or heat on the roof, or poor soldering. Or a shadow — all worse than you think, says the National Renewable Energy Laboratories: “ The reduction in power from shading half of one cell is equivalent to removing a cell active area 36 times the shadow’s actual size.” “One bird, one truck of dirt, one flowering tree can destroy your solar production, and you would not know for a long time,” Yarbrough said. “Welcome to the Christmas Tree Effect: Hurt the panel a little, hurt production a lot. It is amazing how many people put up solar for great reasons, but really do not watch their systems. As a result, a lot of people lose a lot of money because many, many systems are not producing the power its owners were promised. And few know.” Maybe because knowing it is not that useful. “If your solar array produces a megawatt of power, that means it is composed of 3000 to 5000 panels,” said Ray Burgess, CEO of Solar Power Technologies. “If some panels go bad, you need panel level monitoring to o find the bad panels. But most systems monitor power at the system level, but as Google found out, that is that useful for detecting catastrophic failure, but not much else.” Thus the need for small wireless monitors throughout the array. “Now that we have cost effective monitors from a company in Austin, that is going to change the world, just like Google Analytics.” Leading the solar monitor business is Burgess and Solar Power Technologies of Austin, Texas. The company is introducing monitors and other devices to give solar array owners unprecedented control over their panels. If you have 3500 panels and a few start breaking, you better have something better than “guesswork” to optimize your array. “As we travel the country talking to panel owners about their systems, we are constantly amazed at how many systems that are producing power far below their capacity, and some not producing power at all. Monitors on the panels can change that and let you know what is really happening with your system. And where it is happening. Saving system owners thousands of dollars a month.” Just like Google Analytics. Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood * Greening Beauty  Greening Paris * Greening Vancouver Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice!

Info Dog Day Afternoon L.A.

Join us on Tuesday, July 26 from 6:00PM – 9:00PM at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for the 5th Annual Downtown Dog Day Afternoon at the Cathedral. Come for all or part.   This event is for Downtown LA dogs onlyand their humans,but allDowntownerswithout dogs and friends of Downtown are welcome too. Come meet your neighbors, Downtown dogs, and join us for an afternoon of fun, food, and communitybuilding. Dogs and cats will also be available for adoption.   Register today at www.DowntownLA.com/dogday   See you all there!

 

 

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Paris Velib’ Passion

By Paige Donner

The Velib’ bicycle program in Paris celebrated its one millionth bicycle voyage last month. If you’re not yet familiar with Paris’s city-sponsored bicycle program, it’s such an innovative and “green travel” program in the form of a public transportation service, that the Velib’, in and of itself, is a reason to visitParis.

There’s good news, too: The already efficient and economical tariffs to rent one of the Velib’ bicycles just got even cheaper and more efficient.

The Mairie de Paris (Paris City Hall) has made Velib’s more easily accessible for tourists and visitors. The price of a Velib’ for day use is now the same cost as a Metro ticket: EURO 1.70. And the price for 7 days access for use of a Velib’ is 5 to 8 Euros with the first 30 minutes of use free. You can get your Velib’ tickets on the internet at http://velib.paris.fr and also at the Mobile Kiosks that you find at every Velib’ station which provide instructions in English. It’s a great alternative to hopping on a bus or the metro or walking everywhere.

Click to download the sector maps of Velib’ Stations.

Since the Velib’ stations are nearly as numerous in the city as the Metro stations, most people can get where they need to go within a half an hour, drop off the bicycle, and pick up another one for their return voyage after their rendezvous. If you go over the half-hour time allotment per session (not per day), you pay for the extra time starting at 1 Euro for an extra half-hour.

Since May 2011, the yearly subscription rate has been supplemented by more choices…READ More On Traveling Greener

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Responsible Tourism Awards – June 17th Nomination Deadline

About the Responsible Tourism Awards

The Responsible Tourism Awards are organised by founder responsibletravel.com, with support from media partners Metro Newspaper, Geographical Magazine (the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society), and World Travel Market, where the Awards are given out. The judging process is designed and organised in partnership with the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University, and Virgin Holidays have supported the Awards as headline sponsor since 2007. 

Read more about our Partners. 

Since they were founded in 2004, the Awards have attracted over 10,000 nominations from members of the public, leading to 201 unique organisations Awarded from 51 countries around the world. 

What are the Awards for?

The Responsible Tourism Awards were founded in 2004 to celebrate and inspire change in the tourism industry. The Awards rest on a simple principle – that all types of tourism, from niche to mainstream, can and should be organised in a way that preserves, respects and benefits destinations and local people. 

We want to celebrate the shining stars of responsible tourism – the individuals, organisations and destinations working innovatively with local cultures, communities and biodiversity. 

But more than that, we want their examples to inspire others. That’s why we’ve got the most rigorous judging process around, and work with the best partners in the industry to help us get the word out – to ensure that their stories provide an example to the industry. 

How do the Awards work?  Read MORE on ResponsibleTravel.com

 

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Environmentalists Honored For Extraordinary Efforts

By Gina Hall

[Gina is a USC Film School Graduate. She works with Global Green USA and is a guest blogger for the Green Blog Network.]

Environmental nonprofit Global Green USA celebrated its 15th annual Millennium Awards at a star-studded fundraising gala at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica on Saturday. Celebrity guests and presenters included Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Guest, Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr and Adrian Grenier. 

One of the evening’s high-profile honorees was actor Mark Ruffalo, recently nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Kids are Alright. Actress Laura Dern presented Ruffalo with his honor for his work to eliminate the controversial hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a., “hydrofracking,” a chemical process that fractures shale in order to retrieve oil and natural gas. The process, as seen in the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland, has been shown to contaminate water supplies to the point of becoming flammable. Ruffalo has testified before Congress, arguing for a ban on the practice and has started his own foundation, Water Defense, to educate the public on the dangers of hydrofracking.

Ed Begley, Jr. was also among the honorees, for his work to inspire others to create a more sustainable world. Featured on the reality program, Living with Ed, the actor and Studio City resident has become associated with the ultimate in green living – even going as far as generating power for his home via stationary bicycle.  Other honorees included the Los Angeles Business Council for their work to encourage the use of solar power in the city, and Wendy Schmidt, founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation and the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Prize. 

“Thanks to our sponsors, including Sprint, 360 Vodka and dozens more, Global Green raised over $470,000 to support our local and national initiatives,” noted Global Green’s Communications Director Ruben Aronin. 

“We are so excited to celebrate the impressive achievements of our 2011 Millennium Awards Honorees,” said Global Green President and CEO Matt Petersen. “It’s particularly auspicious to celebrate these leaders as World Environment Day approaches and we mark the one-year countdown to the Rio Earth Summit in 2012, when our global leaders will gather to make commitments to make our world more sustainable. Global Green will be marshaling its supporters to call for local and community-based approaches to solving climate change, including creating greener cities, schools and affordable housing for families.”

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Mark Ruffalo and Orlando Bloom For Global Green USA, June 4, 2011 Santa Monica

 

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Coachella Renewable

Submitted by Eric Ritz, Founder Global Inheritance

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