Amandla! -- African Americans and Energy

When You Don’t Know What To Do, Do The Right Thing

Sonja Ebron — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:57:26 +0000

Like most people, I find the Golden Rule an indispensable companion to living well. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “wish for your brother what you wish for your self” are among countless expressions of the Ethics of Reciprocity found in all religions. The trouble comes when we feel we need something and believe we can’t get it fairly. At those times, the temptation is to rationalize a double standard, but it always comes out wrong in the long term.

American history is replete with such examples, from genocide of the original inhabitants and enslavement of African people to the coups, assassinations and general warmongering of the last 60 years. We are so blinded by our past that we can’t adequately gauge our future. That’s what so dangerous about our continuing misadventure in Iraq.

On what deranged planet does ending the Iraq war mean the permanent presence of 50,000 foreign troops with control of the airspace? Exactly how is a multinational bidding war for Iraqi oil rights better for Iraq than the state ownership they used to enjoy? We expected nothing about Iraq to make sense under George Bush, but Barack Obama knows better. We know — and the Iraqis know — this ain’t right.

It’s also untenable as a peace proposition because there can be no peace without justice. How can we expect “insurgents” or “terrorists” or whatever we want to call them to stop fighting while Western oil companies drain their national wealth under a puppet government protected by a larger and better equipped foreign military force than their own? They don’t believe our hype; they’ve been through this before, in the four decades leading up to the 1958 revolution against British occupation. Far from ending, our war on Iraq is not even beginning to wind down.

True, global oil production is peaking and the global economy is collapsing in response. Yes, we need the oil some kinda bad and don’t know how to secure it while we wean ourselves off it. The world’s biggest oil junkie needs its fix, and Iraq is the unwilling dealer. But I was taught that when you don’t know what to do, do the right thing. We need to get out of Iraq — now — because it’s the right thing to do. For one, no junkie gets off his drug by robbing his dealer. That only delays the healing. For two, the Golden Rule isn’t just good ethics; it’s moral law that means you bring in what you send out. We are destroying our future as a nation by our actions in Iraq.

Our president would do well to remember, as he likes to quote from Martin Luther King, that “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”

Tags: Barack Obama, economics, Iraq, peak oil

Getting back to living in season

Lisa Gilbride — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:59:21 +0000

When I was growing up in North Carolina, we ALWAYS opened the windows as soon as the weather would break in the spring. We did not have central air, only window units in the bedrooms and one on the main floor that was large enough to cool the dining room, living room and kitchen. The den was below the foundation and that area was always cool and where we spent most of our time when not outside.

Anyone who lives in the south can tell you it can get pretty hot during the summer months. However, my parents were into keeping the electric bill down and we only ran the air conditioning after the sun went down.

Then later in life I moved to Buffalo, NY where most houses have no air conditioning because heating is more important. Heck, up there you are really lucky to see two 90-degree days in a row. Summer does not last long if it comes at all.

So I have gone full circle from living with endless New York winters to living (here in Mexico) with endless summers. What a difference! Here most of the houses are made of masonry, tile and marble. Everyone has air conditioning and hardly any heating. It gets a bit chilly for me in December as the masonry makes my house feel like a refrigerator. We have only one room with heat and that’s the bedroom. We do not have central air as this is an older house built in the 50’s. We have window units in the bedrooms only. Believe it or not, because I grew up learning to live without air conditioning during the day, I am trained to not turn the air on until it has to be used. So I walk around in a pizza oven all day during the summer.

For example, yesterday was a nice and balmy 115 degrees, but I am so used to heat now it does not bother me. I have found that rooms stay much cooler when you leave the shades drawn and the windows shut until the sun moves off the house. As soon as the sun starts to set, the windows are opened for the daily breezes that cool things off until it’s time to go to bed.

Many people are so used to constant air conditioning that they have no idea what it’s like not to have it. If we train ourselves to adjust to seasonal temperatures, we are one step closer to being “green”.

How do you conserve energy? What have you trained yourself to live without for a few hours to save both money and the earth?

Would love to hear from you!

– by Lisa Gilbride

Tags: electricity, energy utilities, green, heat, indoor air quality

Missing Michael Jackson — The Long View

Sonja Ebron — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:04:28 +0000

These summer electric bills remind me that I need new windows in my home. I still have a few incandescent bulbs to replace, but I’m waiting for them to die. There’s so much going on with energy these days, from the new climate bill to the “pullback” of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, that I’ve been overwhelmed every time I wanted to write.

But losing Michael Jackson has forced me to the keyboard. I’m old enough to remember him as a pre-teen marvel, before he became a cultural icon. Reflecting on his four-decade expression of musical genius, I wonder what we’ll remember in 40 years about the lifestyles we enjoy today. We’ve gone from telephone answering machines to the iPhone, from radio antennas to HDTV, from the Ford Mustang to the Toyota Prius. Michael has left us at the Great U-Turn, trying to be the Jetsons but decked out like the Flintstones.

We’re at the most startling turning point in human history, supporting 7 billion people on resources fit for 2 billion. In 40 years, we will all wonder how we let ANYone drive a Hummer or burn coal to make electricity. The concept of the “job” and the “grocery store” will be gone, and we will know our neighbors well.

But Michael’s is the spirit we’ll need going forward. His exuberant commitment to sharing his God-given talent, even in the face of slander and fear of his grown-man innocence, may give us the courage to share ours in the decades to come. We will need this spirit, cause my new windows and light bulbs ain’t gonna cut it.

Tags: climate, consumption, energy, Michael Jackson, population, technology

Un-Green but learning

Lisa Gilbride — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:13:45 +0000

I just want to let anyone that reads my posts know I am no expert when it comes to being “green”. Matter of fact, upon starting this project I realized how un-green I am. I have to thank Sonja for the opportunity to educate not only you the readers but myself as well.

Just put “green” in a search engine. It’s overwhelming and exciting! We are all heading that way full speed ahead!

While doing research to come up with topics, I was amazed at what is available to us “un-greenies” like myself .

Take for example Solar Hot Water Heaters. I had not a clue someone had already figured that out. What a superb idea, since hot water usage is 20% of your utility bill! Not only that, it’s really not that expensive, especially if you are or are blessed to have a do-it-yourselfer. These systems are sold in kits starting at approximately $1600 if you shop around. Plus, with the added bonus of being able to get a special tax credit from the government, this system would pay for itself very quickly. If you have it installed by a professional, I’m sure that cost would go up considerably. I will have to look into that a bit further when my husband is around; he’s an engineer, so he’s into that sort of thing.

Now when my husband and I move back to the US from Mexico and decide where we will build our dream house, you can bet I will have this system.

Hopefully by that time, I’ll be so green I won’t leave a stone unturned to having a self-sufficient property. Perhaps I will still be here blogging and people can go through the process with me. I’m looking forward to learning more and sharing it with people that are just like me.

Until then……Go Green!!

– by Lisa Gilbride

Tags: energy efficiency, energy utilities, environment, green, housing, water

School gardens teach going green

Lisa Gilbride — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:07:07 +0000

I was watching the news a couple of months ago when an interesting “good” news story caught my attention. It was about an elementary school in Atlanta where the students were growing their own garden on campus. I wish I remembered the name of the school so I could plot their progress as it was a brilliant idea! These kids were growing different kinds of vegetables, and the harvests were being used in the school cafeteria, thus saving the school money. They gave away what the school didn’t use to local food banks.

Now what if this trend caught on in schools and colleges all across America? Maybe they could go beyond gardening and learn how to make their schools even more self-sustaining. Perhaps they could learn how to harness the sun, wind and rain by building systems that would get them off the local utilities and cut the school system’s overhead costs. Maybe there would be more money for their education!

As we hear all the time, our children are our future. It’s true!!! Kudos to the teachers and organizations that developed this learning experience for their students!! I hope to see more “good” news stories about our younger generations thinking outside the box. Like I said a couple of posts ago, no idea should go unnoticed, as one of them could spark a trend and get young people excited about helping not only themselves but those around them. That is what community is all about!

Come on young people everywhere! I challenge you to follow the lead of this Atlanta school and dream green! Anything is possible when you put your mind and passion into something you believe in. One person CAN make a difference!

– by Lisa Gilbride

Tags: Atlanta, community, education, energy utilities, food, society

Collecting rain water for a green garden

Lisa Gilbride — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:57:26 +0000

Last year much of the South experienced severe droughts, so severe that many people were put on water restrictions. My Mom lives in North Carolina, where everyone was asked to water their lawns only on certain days and to limit flushing toilets. Mom has a beautiful garden that she spends a great deal of time trying to keep beautiful. With the water restrictions, she was concerned that she would lose all her hard work. She went and bought two 55 gallon rain barrels for $60/ea and installed them to her gutters on the house to collect rain that falls on the roof. She added spigots to the bottom so she could not only attach a hose and water her garden, she could also use the water to flush the toilets, thus conserving water from the municipality.

I thought this was such a great idea! I looked at the many rain collection systems that are available on the web and they range from simple barrels like my Mom’s to elaborate systems with filtration and water purification. With the more elaborate systems, you can even use the water for other things like bathing and cooking.

I asked my Mom how long it takes to fill a barrel and she said 1/4″ of rainfall fills them both to the top! Think of the possibilities if more people used this simple system!!!

And that is how my Mom keeps her garden “green”.

– Lisa Gilbride

Tags: education, food, garden, green, household energy, rain, water

When the lights go out…

Lisa Gilbride — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:54 +0000

Have you ever lost electricity and walked into a room only to turn on the switch when you KNOW the power is out? Welcome to my world. I live in Mexico where power outages are quite frequent.

So, with no T.V., no computer, no radio, I have nothing left to do but just think. I keep asking myself one question: What did people do before there was electricity? Then I look to where we are now. Could our answer to today’s environmental issues be found in the past?

People in the past were self-sustaining. They figured out how to get light and water and food. We can figure it out too! We harness the sun with solar energy. We can harness the wind and the rain as well. I am certain before the convenience of electricity and water came along, they were putting nature to work for them. The earth needs a rest from all the mining of coal and oil.

I think instead of being self-absorbed and lost in the land of computers, cell phones, bad T.V., video games, texting etc, we need to look at being self-sustaining and bring communities closer again. I am positive the people that actually lived without electricity relied on other people around them. I believe they were happy with life. After all, they were most likely our kin.

Everything we have now we take for granted. We are so conditioned to flipping a switch and expecting that light to come on. When it doesn’t, we become lost as to what we can do without it.

No idea should go unnoticed. Ask yourself the question when you have a power outage. Let me know what comes to mind. The answers are out there and I think they are in the past.

– Lisa Gilbride

Tags: electricity, environment, household energy, lighting, oil, society

Iraq War Ends When We Get The Oil

Sonja Ebron — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:21:41 +0000

Barack Obama is either lying or crazy when he says he’ll end the war in Iraq, and he doesn’t strike me as someone tolerant of self-delusion. Hate the game, not the player: Politicians lie for a living. No responsible American president could release his hold on a country floating on a sea of oil worth somewhere between $10-30 trillion, not while we remain so addicted to it and are too broke to even pay attention. (And the fact that the war is rank criminality? Look, I said American president.)

Of course, there is another alternative. The Financial Times reports that major Western oil companies are headed back to Iraq this year after four decades of being locked out. I’ve seen this story every other year since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, so who knows if it’s actually true this time. But if it is, does this mean the war is finally coming to an end?

That was its purpose, after all, to control access to some of the largest oil fields in the world. As a British minister said in 2004,

Saddam controlled a country at the centre of the Gulf, a region with a quarter of world oil production in 2003, and containing more than 60% of the world’s known reserves. With 115bn barrels of oil reserves, and perhaps as much again in the 90% of the country not yet explored, Iraq has capacity second only to Saudi Arabia. The US, in contrast, is the world’s largest net importer of oil. Last year the US Department of Energy forecast that imports will cover 70% of domestic demand by 2025.

It’s not like this is the first time colonial powers have tried to steal Iraqi oil, and the Iraqi people have long memories. They’ve so far refused to enact laws and production sharing agreements giving away their natural resources. Iraqi “insurgents” are mostly fighting to keep Western hands off their oil. And there’s no sign they’re giving in, even as the Obama administration tries to persuade Iran and Syria to stop arming them. So the war is not ending. My guess, for what it’s worth, is that the oil companies are simply tired of waiting for stability and going for the black gold at whatever terms are available. As Obama likes to say, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Update: The American general overseeing Iraq says he’s not planning to follow the security agreement the U.S. signed just a few months ago, which requires U.S. soldiers to leave Iraqi cities by July 1st. This follows a recent U.S. raid in violation of the agreement, which required but failed to even seek the permission of Iraqi officials. Surely no one expects an occupying power to respect anything it promises the occupied.

Tags: Barack Obama, colonialism, economics, Iraq, oil, war

Your Lifestyle Off The Cliff

Sonja Ebron — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:58:37 +0000

Grist.org has a great piece today on whether American lifestyle changes are needed to address climate change. Apparently, some folx believe we can simply change our light bulbs and drive hybrids, and all will be well! Since some of us would rather let the planet boil than give up our iPods, we should pretend there’s no need to change the way we live. Yeah, like Wile Coyote off the cliff, some of us will get the memo too late.

The whole notion of “lifestyle” implies a choice, one that excess energy makes possible. But the world economy just ran smack dab into global energy limits and lost big time, and our lifestyles are adjusting accordingly. Not that it matters…

Truth is, to avoid severe climate change, we have got to stop burning fossil fuels — all of them — now. There’s something like a 50-year lag between emission of a greenhouse gas and its impact on the climate. I think we are already on the cliff’s edge 30 years out, so the only question is how bad things will get after that. That means the lifestyles of most Americans ought to be criminalized.

There’s no way around it. No new technologies, no fuel efficiency standards, no changes in behavior that merely “reduce” energy consumption, are going to allow us to maintain our wasteful ways. We need to do all the above, but also simply have to do more with less.

Tags: climate change, economy, emissions, energy, fossil fuels, lifestyle

Atlanta Light Swap 2009

Sonja Ebron — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:19:46 +0000

We gave away 700 bulbs last Sunday and expanded the event to serve three Black churches in metro Atlanta. See the press release below:

Saving Money One Light Bulb At A Time

2^nd Annual Light Bulb Swap Helps Consumers Save Money Through Energy Conservation

April 26, 2009 (ATLANTA) – On Sunday, April 26, 2009, the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, in partnership with blackEnergy and Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, distributed 700 compact fluorescent light bulbs in Metro Atlanta with a message of sustainable living during the 2^nd Annual Light Bulb Swap. This free event was designed to introduce a cost effective way of “Going Green” to the African American community and in turn encourage them to be proactive in conserving energy and saving money.

After Service at True Light Baptist Church

According to Andrew Hoerner, researcher for the sustainability think tank Redefining Progress and the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, African Americans pay more of their incomes on home energy and heating expenses than other people. “Energy prices and policies have a disproportionate impact on our community,” said Rev. Darrell D. Elligan, president of Concerned Black Clergy. “It’s essential that religious organizations invest in informing the laity about opportunities to save energy and money while protecting our environment for our children.”

Consumers were asked to bring one standard 60-watt bulb to a participating church. There, they exchanged the bulb for a free 15-watt compact fluorescent light. Participating churches were: True Light Baptist Church (Atlanta), Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta), and New Life Christian Church Intl. (Decatur).

The goal of the program was to educate consumers on the importance of saving energy and resources for the next generation and how doing so can help them save money. “We all have to do our best to start saving energy and treating the planet better,” stated Sonja Ebron, CEO of blackEnergy. “CFL bulbs are a great way to introduce energy efficiency to the average consumer because the benefits are so obvious.”

Using the new CFLs can make a big impact at home and for the planet. Lighting can make up 25% of the typical home’s energy budget. According to the U.S. government’s Energy Star program, by replacing just one traditional bulb, consumers can save $30 or more in electricity costs over the bulb’s lifetime.

To save the most energy and money, Energy Star suggests:

Consumers replace their most highly used light bulbs with the new energy-efficient models.
The five highest used fixtures in a home are typically the kitchen ceiling lights, the living or family room table and floor lamps, and outdoor porch or post lights.
As a result, replacing five of these light bulbs could save consumers as much as $150.

The savings to the environment are also significant. Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent bulbs use about 75 % less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

If every American home replaced just ONE incandescent light bulb with a CFL, it would be the equivalent of removing 7.5 million cars from our roads. The energy savings would be enough to light more than 3 million homes for a year and would save more than $600 million in annual energy costs. For more information on saving energy with compact fluorescent bulbs, visit the Energy Star website at www.energystar.gov.

For help in making their homes more energy efficient, consumers can contact their city and county energy offices and the State Energy Office (GEFA) to access funds from the $66 million in stimulus money that Georgia received for energy efficiency and weatherization. Money is available for home weatherization projects like adding insulation, replacing windows and purchasing energy-efficient appliances. The City of Atlanta received $6 million; $6 million went to DeKalb County, $5 million for Cobb County and $7 million for Gwinnett County.

About Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc.
Established in 1982, CBC is the primary, proactive and principle-centered organization comprised mostly of African-American ministers and laity. Our mission is to provide leadership, advocacy and service to the homeless, helpless and hopeless in our community. For more information, visit www.concernedblackclergy.org.

About blackEnergy
blackEnergy is a national distributor of energy conservation products and an organizer of energy buying groups that help people use their utility bills to support Black communities. For more information, visit www.blackenergy.com.

About Georgia Interfaith Power & Light
Georgia Interfaith Power & Light engages communities of faith in stewardship of God’s Creation as a direct reflection of our faithfulness through worship, education, and the sustainable generation and efficient use of energy. GIPL is a program of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the clean generation of energy. For more information, visit www.gipl.org.

Tags: Atlanta, community, education, electricity, environment, green, lighting, sustainable

Amandla! -- African Americans and Energy

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