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		<title>EarthPeople Speak</title>
		<description>EarthPeople is a consulting and communications firm that transforms organizations through profitable sustainability strategies.   Our consulting and training services equip employees and managers to take initiative, increase efficiency and reduce waste.  Our public relations and strategic marketing services bolster your brand and your bottom line by conserving valuable resources - starting with your financial ones. The payoff is reduced costs, increased engagement and a better reputation.</description>
		<link>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog?task=feed&amp;type=index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_lyftenbloggie</link>
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			<title>Collaborating for conservation: Texans unite in the fight to save the shark</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/cVt2kTmDgZw/59-collaborating-for-conservation-texans-unite-in-the-fight-to-save-the-shark</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/05/17/59-collaborating-for-conservation-texans-unite-in-the-fight-to-save-the-shark</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Today is Endangered Species Day, and animal advocates around the nation are ratcheting up the fight to save their favorite species. Here in Texas, the battle is on to save the shark. According to the latest research, 100 million sharks are disappearing from our oceans each year, primarily driven by the lucrative trade in shark fins, the main ingredient in shark fin soup. Once a dish for emperors, shark fin soup is now served at banquets and in restaurants to satisfy the appetites of Asia’s upwardly mobile society.&nbsp; The Chinese consumers who are bent on showing off their new money through the consumption of this tasteless delicacy may not fully comprehend the consequences. As apex predators, sharks are the regulators of the sea.&nbsp; Their presence is critical for maintaining a balanced ecology on which fisherman and tourists rely, as well as the two billion of the world’s poor who depend on the ocean for their main source of protein. To counter this devastating trend that is driving some shark species toward extinction, states are passing legislation to ban the sale and consumption of shark fins. Already Hawaii, Washington, California, Oregon, Illinois, and Maryland have passed laws.&nbsp; Three other bills from East Coast states now await their governors’ signatures to become laws. State by state, Americans are working diligently to close down the market for shark fins. Texans have a historic opportunity to join them.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/05/17/59-collaborating-for-conservation-texans-unite-in-the-fight-to-save-the-shark</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>What the First Annual Survey of New Jersey Business Sustainability tells us</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/5aT3uhptGzE/58-what-the-first-annual-survey-of-new-jersey-business-sustainability-tells-us</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/05/08/58-what-the-first-annual-survey-of-new-jersey-business-sustainability-tells-us</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[By Matt Polsky and Pooja AravkarNone of the world’s leading companies pursuing sustainability are U.S.-based, reports Oekom Research, a German company in its annual Corporate Responsibility Review. What could we do about this in New Jersey? Researchers from the Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE) can offer some ideas. The mission of ISE is to “bring people together to learn how to live and manage sustainably by solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities in ways that simultaneously enhance economic, social, and environmental vitality.” It is the intellectual hub of sustainable business thinking in New Jersey.

ISE’s 2010 report Developing and Implementing a Sustainable Growth Strategy for New Jersey provided several guidelines for developing a “Green Economy” – an economy that includes and extends beyond clean energy, potentially penetrating all business sectors to protect and restore the environment while creating economic growth. The report, which urges all sectors to practice corporate social responsibility and aim towards greater levels of sustainability, concludes that “New Jersey has a unique opportunity to play a leadership role.”
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2013 10:40:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/05/08/58-what-the-first-annual-survey-of-new-jersey-business-sustainability-tells-us</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>South Florida citizen groups lead on sea level rise</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/9REhKaRw-iM/57-south-florida-citizen-groups-lead-on-sea-level-rise</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/04/25/57-south-florida-citizen-groups-lead-on-sea-level-rise</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Sea level rise is a hot topic in the Sunshine State. As hundreds of miles of beaches in Florida are threatened, organizations are springing up to save their local coastlines and local economies. Beaches and
coastlines in Florida are tied into property values, taxes, ecosystems, business, tourism, and economy. For Florida residents, beaches are not only critical parts of the state’s natural and financial capital, they are also an integral part of their lifestyle. 
Protect Our Beaches
(POB), a West Palm Beach, Florida based non-profit group, is one organization that is leading the charge against
beach erosion. The group held its first public meeting in Palm Beach County, Florida in early April 2013. This coalition to save local beaches from erosion due to storm surge and sea level rise is projecting a singular and powerful voice to the State and Federal governments. 
“Hurricane Sandy was a tap on our shoulder in Florida,” said the group’s founder, Sonny Nardulli, who also serves as president of the Eastpointe Condo Association located on the ocean on Singer Island. “It is time to act now as our window of opportunity is closing.” He added, “This is a ‘we’ problem. We need to take chances and say yes to new ideas with a combination of solutions.” 

Nardulli is one of many property owners whose properties are compromised by wave action close to or under buildings due to the erosion of beaches. Sea level rise has been measured and documented. In Key West, Florida the ocean has already risen 9” in the last 100 years, with conservative projections by organizations such as NOAA and the US Army Corps of Engineers for an additional increase of 9” to 24” in next 50 years. 
Attending the event were several condominium association leaders coming from properties stretching from the north and south tips of the county, non-profit groups such as the Florida
Coalition for Preservation and the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches,
joined coastal community businesses, some of which sponsored the event. Several
Palm Beach County elected officials including US Congresswoman Lois Frankel and
Florida State Senator Jeff Clemons also attended the event.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:12:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/04/25/57-south-florida-citizen-groups-lead-on-sea-level-rise</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Rising up to prepare for sea level rise</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/XN31jZfWyJ8/56-rising-up-to-prepare-for-sea-level-rise</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/03/22/56-rising-up-to-prepare-for-sea-level-rise</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Situated among the trees and mountains along the scenic Hudson River, Kingston, New York seems far away from the salty blue waves of the Atlantic.&nbsp; Yet, just 100 miles inland from the World Trade Center, at the southern tip of Manhattan where New York meets the Atlantic, the Tidal Waterfront Flooding Task Force of the Kingston Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) has begun to plan a strategy to manage the inevitable effects of a rising sea. This volunteer advisory board, residents, community advocates, city officials, grassroots organizations, and State experts met with Catalysis Adaptation Partners to determine the impacts of storm surges and Sea Level Rise (SRL) on this historic town, the former capital of New York State.

The group first met with Mayor Shayne Gallo and the community at City Hall on December 6, 2012 to discuss the challenges the city faces from waterfront flooding and sea level rise in the Rondout, a historic downtown district.&nbsp; After Hurricane Sandy, it became evident that it was time to proactively address flooding challenges, including those related to SLR.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:40:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/03/22/56-rising-up-to-prepare-for-sea-level-rise</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Holding the door open on climate change</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/wqGlxEx-q_A/55-holding-the-door-open-on-climate-change</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/02/26/55-holding-the-door-open-on-climate-change</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Watching customers coming in and out of a coffee shop recently, I saw a variety of door etiquette behaviors. Some people held the door open for the person behind them while others chatted or texted obliviously on their phones.&nbsp; Some kicked or nudged the door open with their hands full.&nbsp; A few walked on through, letting the door slam in the face of the person right behind them.&nbsp; Rudeness was the exception, however. Most people politely held the door open for the person behind them.&nbsp; This had me wondering why exactly it is that we extend this courtesy to others.&nbsp; Is it because we feel responsible to do so?&nbsp; Do we consider it moral or ethical? Are we being conscientious, or do we happen to care more about people than those who fail to hold the door? Regardless of the reason, it is clear that holding the door is culturally accepted as the right thing to do in a civilized society.

The next person through the door of coffee shop was John Englander, author of High Tide on Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis. Our meeting gave me occasion to draw a connection between door-holding action and our individual action regarding climate change.&nbsp; Do we adjust our behavior to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because we feel responsible, conscientious or caring, or because it is moral or ethical?&nbsp; I parked my thoughts in order to listen to John as he explained how, compared to most disasters that provide little or no warning, rising sea level allows us time to plan for “intelligent adaptation.”&nbsp; ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:25:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/02/26/55-holding-the-door-open-on-climate-change</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Dallas/Fort Worth rally for position in solar power</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/BNUIS7hViS8/54-dallasfort-worth-rally-for-position-in-solar-power</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/02/15/54-dallasfort-worth-rally-for-position-in-solar-power</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Dallas ranks 6th and Fort Worth 7th among the utility-supported   solar cities in Texas, according to a recent report from Environment   Texas Research and Policy Center.  The report, “Reaching for the Sun: How San Antonio and Austin are showing that solar is a powerful energy option for Texas” finds the Metroplex in the shadow of solar leaders San Antonio and Austin.
The report finds there are 972 kilowatts (KW) of solar energy that   have been installed in Fort Worth and 1,243 KW in Dallas, in part from   incentives from the local utility Oncor. While Oncor ranked a distant   3rd  among utilities in Texas, the entire deregulated area of the state   fared poorly. The report from Environment Texas  finds that the  municipally-owned utilities in San Antonio and Austin installed  four  times more solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity than the rest of Texas   combined - or 85 percent of the state total. The report credits the   cities’ strong policies encouraging solar power on residences and   businesses, and in utility-scale installations.
“DFW is a world leader in energy, but when it comes to solar power,   we’re being eclipsed by other cities,” said Jennifer Rubiello,   Dallas/Fort Worth organizer for Environment Texas. “It’s time we reach   for the sun and bring clean solar energy to the rooftops of our homes,   schools and businesses.”
“For the past three years, Texas has  faced a looming energy shortfall  based on rapid demand growth,” said  Principal Solar executive Michael  Martin, “but solar can fulfill this  shortfall well, demonstrating  excellent daily and seasonal correlation  to peak demand.”
“Of the various abundant natural resources that  Texas is blessed  with, solar offers the greatest underutilized  potential for us to tap  into a clean source of power,” said Anna Clark,  founder of EarthPeople, a  sustainability communications firm and  co-founder of the Dallas chapter  of Interfaith Power &amp; Light.
Click here to read the full press release.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:30:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/02/15/54-dallasfort-worth-rally-for-position-in-solar-power</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Why can't we leave Al Gore alone?</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/QydwkDkP5-s/53-why-cant-we-leave-al-gore-alone</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/02/04/53-why-cant-we-leave-al-gore-alone</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Snark has its good points.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;In fact, a student once asked me to  show more videos of comedians specializing in political and social  snark.&nbsp; Using this sarcastic tone can  be funny, a way to stand out, to make a point, to seem cool and  current, and even to show that your side can laugh at itself.&nbsp; And, as  others have stated before (Christine Whitman, most recently), “Politics  ain’t beanbag.”&nbsp; &nbsp;But we might ask ourselves, what are we trying to  accomplish with snarky communication?&nbsp; Could it be time to step back and  take an honest look at the ensuing costs to individuals and society for  such widespread maltreatment?
Consider Al Gore. In a span of two weeks, I counted four articles in The New York Times criticizing him. &nbsp;When it comes to Gore, any acknowledgments of the  character of the man and what he has accomplished are frequently and  conspicuously absent.&nbsp; (Brian Stelter, for example, painted a very  unfavorable, one-sided portrait of him in “Gore Went to Bat for Al Jazeera, and Himself.”)  While no one is above criticism and some legitimate points were  introduced, there has to be some balance, especially considering his  achievements.
Some years ago, on two separate occasions, I co-catalyzed rare  actions to address global warming by my-then Township Council, but each  time Councilmen felt the need to offer the disclaimer that they “aren’t  doing this because of Al Gore.”&nbsp; Sure, comedians and conservatives have  long found Al Gore an attractive target, but serious journalists are  taking their own shots at him, too. In The New York Times, David Brooks went so far as to suggest that Gore is responsible for the unhappy ending of the sad green story. Nevermind that Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth,  released in 2006, is generally thought to be one of the most pivotal  catalysts in raising international public awareness around climate  change and reenergizing the green movement.
I have to ask, would the allegations of hypocrisy that are routinely  directed toward Al Gore not also apply to ourselves at times?&nbsp; We  accepted the premise during the go-go years that business is where we  find “success” in our society.&nbsp; After Gore retired from a long career in  public service, he did what many of us would have done and moved into  business - then he gets criticized for making lots of money.&nbsp; Yes, he  looks after his own interests, as we are supposed to do in business, but  he still dedicated the time to write another environmental book.&nbsp;  Meanwhile, he keeps getting hit by Stelter and others for  “arm-twisting,” “leaning on,” and getting his business negotiating  partners to “overpay” (as if they have no say or competency in the  matter).&nbsp; He’s damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t.
Whether we want to give him credit for it or not, Gore continues as  one of the three or four largest forces in the world trying to educate  us to deal with the now-here impacts of global warming, as he has spent  much of his life doing.&nbsp; He is trying to help maintain the conditions  for our children and grandchildren to have a decent life, as  sustainability calls for, but he gets scorned for it by too many not  ready to give up a comfortable denial.&nbsp; It’s easier to make fun of the  man than face the music that we must adapt, while tripling our efforts  to reduce carbon emissions.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:01:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2013/02/04/53-why-cant-we-leave-al-gore-alone</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Do we still need the S-word?</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/RhuXFLiZ5mA/51-do-we-still-need-the-s-word</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2012/12/30/51-do-we-still-need-the-s-word</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Do we really need to use the “S-word” – sustainability --&nbsp; in order to talk about sustainability? Joel Makower originally posed this question (and answered with a “no”). This strikes me as one of the classic  questions for our still-young field, one that goes to its core, and  which will be raised again and again.
The polar extremes of response to the question are: “Sustainability  just doesn’t resonate with my audiences, I can make changes in my  organization without it, so who needs it?” versus “How can you possibly  talk about a subject without mentioning the main way you refer to that  subject?” I aim to speak both to the critics at the first pole, as well  as those who want to take the sustainability term further.To continue reading my article "Do we need the S-word?&nbsp; Yes, for many reasons" on Greenbiz.com, click here.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:11:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2012/12/30/51-do-we-still-need-the-s-word</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Sustainability: The intersection of energy, economy &amp; environmental justice</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/DkpE1zko4W8/50-what-is-environmental-sustainability</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2012/12/17/50-what-is-environmental-sustainability</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[I teach two courses in Environmental Sustainability at SMU and I have been involved with energy efficiency and sustainability for more than 20 years. &nbsp;From the teaching standpoint, Environmental Sustainability is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry which examines the relation between energy and economy in human social evolution. If there's one thing you can count on in the current debates about climate science, energy resources, and environmental impact, it is that few people understand the controlling points of the science of energetics, the branch of physics which examines energy transformations.&nbsp; Economics, a convention of human beings for the production and distribution of goods and services, says nothing about energy or specifically the Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI), a key concept in understanding the long-term functionality of any biological system. Unfortunately, political viewpoints and wishful thinking appear to rule the discussion rather than the laws of physics.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:16:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2012/12/17/50-what-is-environmental-sustainability</feedburner:origLink></item>
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			<title>Resiliency, but not at the expense of sustainability</title>
			<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EarthpeopleSpeak/~3/5LTNv5DLhRg/49-resiliency-but-not-at-the-expense-of-sustainability</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://earthpeopleco.com/blog/2012/11/26/49-resiliency-but-not-at-the-expense-of-sustainability</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Andrew Zolli, in his op-ed in The New York Times called “Learning to Bounce Back,” says that it's time to talk about resiliency.&nbsp; He’s right, but unfortunately he uses sustainability as a straw man to get there.&nbsp; He makes a number of unnecessary criticisms of the term “sustainability,” reminding me how many people have yet to appreciate its purpose and benefits.

In his article, Zolli defines resilience as “how to help vulnerable people, organizations, and systems persist, perhaps even thrive, amid unforeseeable disruptions.”&nbsp; I see resilience as a part of the much larger field of sustainability.&nbsp; Jonathan Cloud, in a forthcoming article called “The Wake-up Call,” calls it “an aspect of sustainability.” &nbsp;If we can agree that sustainability and resiliency actually fulfill different, and in some cases the very same, aspects of a solution, then why disown the term?

A number of things Zolli says about sustainability are actually rare and unrepresentative.&nbsp; He states that sustainability:


calls for "a balance," a "perfect, statis-under-glass equilibrium"
aims to "try to stop the ocean," and 
"proponents" "ignore" "human inhabitants." 


He points to the failure of “sustainability-promoted” green buildings to stand up to flood waters in lower Manhattan as a problem for the concept.&nbsp; However, if anyone thought just doing LEED buildings was enough for sustainability, they misunderstood the concept or were guilty of over-promising.

However, Zolli does make many positive points about resiliency, citing:]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:39:09 +0000</pubDate>
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