I’m here in Poznan, Poland for the 2008 United Nations Climate Change Conference.  Over the next two weeks, I’ll be bringing you news and updates from these incredibly important negotiations. I’m here with 20 other young environmental leaders from the US calling for a bold, binding, and just climate change treaty with science based target by Copenhagen in 2009.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Jeff Gustafson is the director of the D.C. Youth Environmental Alliance and a SustainUS delegate to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. 

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, most of us probably need to shed a few pounds; that may be hard to do, but it’ll be easy to shed a few pounds of waste during the holiday season at least. 

1)    Feeling creative?  Why not make your own ornaments for your tree?  Using scrap paper, old cardboard, or bottles and cans, you can make a plethora of ornaments of different shapes and sizes—all for no cost besides the few minutes of your time!

2)    Don’t want to deal with all of that wasted wrapping paper?  There are a few easy routes to take!  One, you can reuse scrap paper or old boxes—with a bit of added color, it will have a fun eco-friendly home-made touch!  Also, you can buy recycled wrapping paper.  GU’s EcoAction will be working with Earth Presents, a 100% recycled wrapping paper company based in Bethesda, in a holiday-themed event next week.

3)    Make sustainability shine bright!  To cut down energy usage, you can buy eco-friendly holiday lights (LEDs or CFLs).  Show up your neighboring dorm room’s displays and be energy-efficient at the same time!

4)    And, last but not least, don’t forget:  NO COAL IN OUR STOCKINGS!

Some eco-friendly ponderings about Santa:

I have recently helped to start a student-run ethical consulting firm on campus focused on the goals of health, environment, and the community (Mission Three Ethical Consulting); all of these are very important causes to me, and blended together, they form the concept of sustainability.  Many in the corporate world are beginning to see the cost-saving and revenue-generating benefits of “going green”; however, there is one character (albeit fictitious) who still represents unlimited growth, with whom I would like to speak.  That man is Santa Claus.

Santa Claus’s toy workshop is a feat of the Industrial Revolution.  As it is generally assumed that most of the work is done nearing the holiday season, then one can infer that enough toys to satisfy all the good boys and girls across the globe are produced in a relatively short period of time.  There is little to no corporate transparency in Santa’s workshop, especially as concerns environmental sustainability and human rights.  How much energy is consumed in the production of these toys?  Is Santa using up some of the petroleum reserves in the Arctic, or has he become a master of renewable energy (perhaps geothermal energy, as used in Iceland?)  Does Santa’s workshop recycle or use any recycled materials?  From where do they source their materials?  All of these questions are integral to understanding the impact of Santa’s workshop on the environment, and I would love to be able to discuss this with him and formulate a sustainability report for the North Pole, helping the man in the red suit to “go green.”

However, environmental sustainability is not the only issue in the North Pole; as was mentioned earlier, one cannot ignore the issue of human rights.  Mistreatment of the environment in many cases goes hand in hand with the mistreatment of citizen’s rights, and there is little transparency, as well, in the living conditions of Santa’s elves.  Have the elves unionized, and does their union receive proper respect?  Does Santa respect their rights to free speech and free assembly?  Does Santa adhere to the UN charter of human rights?  Furthermore, when one takes into account both the environment and the rights of the elves, one is drawn to the issue of food.  The Arctic does not lend itself to food production; consequently, one of a few cases must exist (none of which is preferable).  Either food is flown in from miles away (consuming much energy in transportation), the food is genetically modified, or the elves are left to starve.  

Jonathan Cohn is a junior at Georgetown University, pursuing a double major in English and history and a minor in Spanish.  He is the co-President of GU EcoAction, the premier environmental awareness group at Georgetown University.  He has spearheaded a number of green initiatives, his favorite still being Recyclemania.  He is now a Conscious Lifestyle/Youth Venture social innovator with a project he co-founded at Georgetown:  Mission Three Ethical Consulting, which offers a consulting service for local businesses around the issues of health, environment, and the community.  He is also a Sustainability Program Associate at SB NOW (Sustainable Business Network of Washington) and hopes to pursue a career in the field of corporate social responsibility

Special thanks to goodfocus for putting together this video from Climate Ride 2008.  Look for Team DCYEA’s very own Josh Lasky and Clara Hirsch.

I have received countless emails about not buying gas on Wednesdays, not buying from Exxon or not buying in large amounts, but not one suggesting that maybe we should just drive less. The best that this kind of group demonstration can hope to accomplish is to show that a large group of people care about the price of oil. Not enough to alter their spending habits, but enough to drive a few extra minutes to the next station.  Without knowing it, they are actually crippling their cause by proving how truly dedicated they are to Big Oil’s product; that despite being upset with the situation, they are unwilling to alter their total consumption.  At the end of the day it’s the consumers’ demand that keeps prices up.  Unless the government steps up to subsidize gas even more than it is now, the upward spiraling price of oil won’t decrease until the demand falls off. (*note: except for elections, the price of oil almost always dips going into an election to make people happier with the incumbent party. But that’s another post for another day.)

The “don’t buy on Wednesday” plans are Americans’ diet-pill answer to the energy crisis. It’s taking action that isn’t too difficult, but doesn’t really do anything either. It does make people feel like they’re doing something, which eases their consciences enough so they can eat that forbidden bowl of ice cream or, in this case, take the scenic route home.

And yes, America is unique in that its cities and suburbs were developed later than most European or Asian cities, at a time when engines played a larger role in transportation that foot or horse traffic. (Something which was exacerbated by government-altered lower gas prices, btw.) So, naturally, not everyone can ditch a car for a bike or a pair of running shoes and places that are perpetually covered in snow and ice are not ideal for mopeds. I’m not saying that every person should switch over to a bike, and mass transportation cannot by any means get you everywhere you want to go- especially if you live outside a city- but that doesn’t mean that everyone can’t take steps. It isn’t a huge lifestyle change to keep your car well-tuned, combine errands, obey the speed limit, carpool, or make your car lighter by emptying out your trunk.

The bottom-line to this is why not? Save yourself some cash (by paying less at the pump), get healthy (by upping your exercise), protect our national security (by reducing our dependence on unstable countries and unstable resources), preventing thousands of lung-related ER visits each year (by keeping chemicals out of our air) and do the environment a favor while your at it. You have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain. So why not?

Erin O’Sullivan spent her high school and college careers working for the environment: creating recycling programs, organizing protests, coordinating events and helping to found DC YEA.  After introducing children to energy efficiency with the Alliance to Save Energy, she is now saving the planet one press release at a time with the Environmental Defense Fund as a Marketing and Communications Associate.

This post was written on Saturday, September 20th.

As usual before the beginning of every new journey and adventure I woke up early and pumped. I walked to the starting point in downtown New York, enjoying the empty streets and smiling at people finishing up their Friday night partying and going to bed! I grabbed a “pain au chocolat” in a bakery that smelled too good to be ignored…the day started pretty well.

When I reached the starting point, swarming with bikes and fellow riders ready to crank their first pedal strokes through Manhattan, I plunged deeper into the excitement of the ride.  I was ready.

Team DCYEA on Day 1 of Climate Ride 2008 in New York City.

The 120 riders took off together; destination: South Street Seaport to board the ferry taking us to New Jersey. Riding in New York was surprisingly not that scary (maybe because it was early Saturday morning, but still) and the views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Bronx and the famous skyline were amazing thanks to a perfect weather. Of course, as is to be expected, I fell for the first time this morning, a result of not being familiar with my toe clips.  Fortunately I wasn’t hurt… and the cameraman had just stopped filming – a great disappointment for my teamates.

 We stayed on the dock for a while, waiting for the ferry and for the beginning of the “Cycle for a Day” event that was taking place. We hung out there enjoying the views and the music (Jeff can testify that Josh and I are pretty good singers!).

Clara Ready to Ride

The ferry ride to New Jersey was great.  I really miss sailing, so breathing the fresh air and looking at the lighthouses on the way felt very good. The ferry, loaded with bikes and eager riders crossed the Hudson River to NJ where lunch was waiting for us before the beginning of the real journey.

We began the ride relatively early while people were still eating, but the pace soon became too fast for me and I rode in the “No Man’s Land” for most of the 45 miles.

I liked the arrival in Princeton a lot; the town and campus looked amazing, giving me some energy to go up the last hills to the YMCA where we set up camp. Taking a shower felt great after riding these 45 miles.  Today’s ride was the shortest of the tour and I’m already tired so I hope the rest of the ride will be OK).

I went to the jazz festival in downtown Princeton before dinner and enjoyed the “small town” feeling that I got, reminding me of Europe.

Concluding the day was a speech from Betsy Taylor, which was a good way to give us the energy and drive needed for this ride. Taylor had a message full of hope, which I really appreciated.

Here we are at the end of day.  I doubt that I will have problems falling asleep, looking forward to PA tomorrow!

 Clara Hirsch currently works as an outdoor educator for Georgetown University.

This post was written on Friday, September 19th.

Tomorrow is the big day, the start of a five-day cycling journey from New York City to Washington, D.C.  Climate Ride 2008 will bring together over 100 riders, each raising at least $2,250 to combat climate change – and DCYEA has sent a team of three to peddle the 300 miles with them.

Before I say anything more about today, let me introduce you to the DCYEA Climate Ride 2008 Team:

Clara Hirsch, originally from France, is currently an outdoor educator with Georgetown University, where she studied as an exchange student.  Clara joined the DCYEA Team to protect the integrity of nature for generations to come.  Amazingly, she will be doing the ride despite a broken foot.

Josh Lasky, a native of New Jersey, is a graduate student at the George Washington University pursuing his master’s in public administration with a concentration in urban environmental policy.  Josh joined the DCYEA Team to continue working toward and advocating for sustainability.

And me, Jeff Gustafson.  I’m originally from California and graduated from the George Washington University last May.  Over a year ago, I started DCYEA; today, I’m excited to represent young people from D.C. on the ride.

After exploring New York City for a few hours and making the mistake of walking from Central Park to the World Trade Center site with my backpacking backpack and a side pack (my ankles are killing me), I met up with Clara to get my bike and head to BLVD, a nightclub that was hosting the Climate Ride 2008 welcome party.

New York City, despite its Gotham reputation of clogged streets, is surprisingly bike friendly.  The bike path that rings Manhattan is especially nice, offering a safe and scenic route for cyclists, runners, etc.  

The welcome party, hosted by Green Drinks NYC, was a nice way of meeting our fellow riders over free vanilla gimlets - with organic vodka, of course.

Exhausted after a full day, I retreated early for the night to rest for tomorrow.

Stay tuned in the coming days for Team DCYEA’s on-the-road blog from Climate Ride 2008.  On September 20th, three members of DCYEA joined 100 other cyclists for a 5-day, 300-mile bike trip from New York City to our home turf, Washington, DC to raise money and awareness to fight climate change.  We will be posting the day-by-day blogs from the ride starting tomorrow!  

For a preview, check out this awesome video made by Team DCYEA member Josh Lasky:

EcoAction

Back in 2007 during the spring of my freshman year, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at Georgetown University for the Newsweek Series on Leadership in the Environment.  The Governator, known for being a champion of environmental efforts in the progressive state of California, asserted that the image of environmentalism needs to change.  There is nothing wrong with hemp and Birkenstocks; however, that will reduce environmentalism to a small group of activists—the green movement needs mass appeal because, when it comes to the environment, everyone will be affected.  Environmentalism, according to Ah-nold, needs to be made “sexy.”  How else do people sell products?  

The moral behind this is that environmentalism needs to be made fun, attractive, upbeat, and inclusive—not exclusive and pessimistic.  One of the first steps toward connecting with people is discovering what their interests are.  What do Hoyas love?  Basketball, for one.  It worked to our benefit thatRecyclemania, the nation-wide intercollegiate recycling competition which we first entered in 2007, falls during the NCAA tournament season.  Connecting with our fight song, I put flyers all over campus: 

“Hey Georgetown, how long’s it been……SINCE YOU LAST RECYCLED?”

I can infer that they were at least somewhat liked because I noticed that some of them were still up when I got back to campus this August.

What else do people love?  Free stuff!  One of our biggest successes with tabling has been giving away free plants.  Annie McBride, our secretary, came up with the ingenious idea of using the bottoms of recycled bottles for pots and filling them with dirt and sunflower seeds.  Nothing amazes me more than the sheer excitement on a student’s face when she finds out that she is getting a free sunflower for her room.  I would say that they sell like hotcakes…but they are FREE!

EcoAction

Even better is shock-value visibility.  Last year, during Recyclemania, Annie and I designed a palm tree out of recycled bottles, cans, and newspaper.  The “installation piece,” about 6 feet tall, stood right in front of the ICC (one of the main class buildings on campus)—where you could not avoid it.  I got to watch a number of double takes, confused stares, laughs, and genuine amusement.  Our tree (aptly called a “tree of life,” giving new life to old goods) gave new life to our green movement.

What’s in store?  One of our main goals for this semester is to capitalize on the political activity on campus.  What better time to be in Washington, DC?  EcoAction hopes to unveil a “Don’t Trash Your Vote” campaign to link recycling and political involvement—and have fun while doing so.  We also hope to connect environmentalism with the idea of Georgetown—this may be an uphill climb; however, the idea of stewardship fits well into the Jesuit ideal of service.  And Georgetown’s blue and gray could use a bit of green, for good measure!

However, we can’t ignore the exact advice of the Governator.  You do have to make environmentalism sexy once in a while:

Who isn

Jonathan Cohn is a junior at Georgetown University, pursuing a double major in English and history and a minor in Spanish.  He is the co-President of GU EcoAction, the premier environmental awareness group at Georgetown University.  He has spearheaded a number of green initiatives, his favorite still being Recyclemania.  He is now a Conscious Lifestyle/Youth Venture social innovator with a project he co-founded at Georgetown:  Mission Three Ethical Consulting, which offers a consulting service for local businesses around the issues of health, environment, and the community.  He is also a Sustainability Program Associate at SB NOW (Sustainable Business Network of Washington) and hopes to pursue a career in the field of corporate social responsibility.

Join us as we kickoff the 2008-2009 school year on Saturday, September 20th at 2:00 PM.  The meeting will be hosted by American University’s EcoSense.  Meeting room location and directions to be announced soon.  Come on down to network with students and young people from across DC, discuss DCYEA’s new political initiative, community service opportunities, Power Shift 2009, and more.

A new element of DCYEA meeting will be a skills training offered immediately before each meeting.  At the September 20th meeting, the skills training will focus on Power Vote, an exciting new campaign to have 1,000,000 young people pledge to vote this November and beyond for a clean energy, just future.  Sign the pledge today at www.powervote.org!  

DCYEA training and meetings are open the the public and we encourage new people to attend and get involved.

Sign to Power Vote pledge today at www.powervote.org. Then come to the Sept. 20th DCYEA meeting to learn more.

DCYEA members will be joining Climate Ride 2008 and biking from New York City to Washington, D.C. in late September to raise awareness and money for Focus the Nation and Clean Air, Cool Planet.  Stay tuned for more information!

For More information check out : www.climateride2008.org.

Brita Climate Ride 2008 is the first multi-day bicycle ride where your pedal strokes help raise money and awareness for meaningful climate change and renewable energy legislation! This transformative event is ideal for anyone who believes that change is possible and that America can take the lead in a green economy.

Beginning on September 20th, one hundred Climate Riders will pedal 320 miles from New York City to the nation’s Capitol in Washington D.C. in five days, departing from the heart of Manhattan and then meandering along country roads through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. On the fifth day, riders will cycle past the iconic Washington Monument to arrive near the marble steps of the Capitol building. Here we will celebrate the riders’ amazing accomplishment and valuable contribution to the advancement of climate change education and renewable energy policies.

Along the way, expert speakers will educate and inspire Climate Riders about the science, the policies and the solutions to the climate crisis. Our riders and the communities we pass through will learn that our government, businesses, and each individual American will benefit from a cleaner, healthier climate. This is a unique event—a fundraiser and climate conference on wheels.

If you’re interested in joining the DCYEA Team or sponsoring a rider, contact Jeff Gustafson at jeff.gustafson@mac.com or contribute directly at http://climateride2008.kintera.org/dcyea.