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This Week’s Reading, Writing, Links

Here’s #SDGs info: 17 goals & 169 targets to be achieved by 2030. v @guardian @hlovins http://t.co/Nluc0QU8fA

 

Sept. 19 Peoples Climate March “What Are We Marching For” Event (read up from bottom)

–Phil @350 “This march is about getting people to feel part of the wave” Completely agree.

–Whoa. I think Hunter Lovins just said that the US & China are going to do a #carbon deal as G2

–Think #ActOnClimate is impossible? Hunter Lovins: UN approved 17 #SDGs. A year early. Done. http://t.co/Nluc0QU8fA

–Jo Confino talking about our deep connection to each other and the earth and the universe–coming back to ourselves.

–A word I haven’t heard often enough in business: duty “What is our duty to each other?—Jo Confino

–Hunter talking about “a new narrative” for a new way of doing biz that works for all.

–Donna Morton @PRINCIPIUM_imp “We can align money with our hearts and who we want to be”

–Phil @350 “As humans our capacity to connect is our biggest asset”

–Excited to hear @joconfino @350 @hlovins #PeoplesClimate @BardMBA http://t.co/30XuJQfafp

RT @CoryBooker: Grateful. RT @KayakMediaTweet: So proud that my #nj senators signed the #PeoplesClimate support letter!

RT @ForecastFacts: @KayakMediaTweet @SustainBrands @intel @Verizon @Ford @google lots more talking on this next week too. Will they walk?

1st leading brand to do right thing RT @consumerist: Crest Confirms It’s Distancing Itself From Scandalized NFL http://t.co/uB1vgIuwdg

My latest @SustainBrands: The #CVSEffect in Action: ‘Walk the Talk’ Edition with @Intel, @Verizon, @Ford and @Google http://t.co/m80i1d3Oyh

So proud that my #NJ senators signed the #PeoplesClimate support letter! Thx u @SenatorMenendez @CoryBooker #njenviro http://t.co/1Jt6tuLO8c

@ASBCouncil I want the world to #ActOnClimate because I see a fairer, freer, healthier, greener, bluer world for all of us #ClimateSummit

Desmond Tutu’s #climate summit prayer: “May we learn to sustain & renew the life of our Mother Earth” http://t.co/7V6Ob8prXw

MarcGunther: Is traveling to the #climate march worth the carbon footprint? @GernotWagner ponders the question http://t.co/7pW2fwIz0q

@emorwee NICELY DONE. A theoretical physicist walks into a Congressional hearing. You won’t believe what happened next.

 

Sept. 18 #GreenBizSummit (read up from bottom)
–Verizon’s Gowen makes great rec to find #sustainability expertise w/new grads & veterans

–Love @jeanawirtenberg’s idea that biz owners can be part of a “Conspiracy for Good”–win-win-win for planet & ppl & profits

–@jeanawirtenberg puts biz success in context of #climate change that affects all of us.

–3rd panel coming up…who’s going to mention #climate change first? Hasn’t come up yet but key for all #nj biz

–@MayorBollwage hears about @newjerseypace as a renewable energy bldg job-creating financing option for municipalities #pace

–@MayorBollwage refreshingly real about urban energy resiliency challenges. 54 languages in his town, to start

–Here’s the lead: #Nj Smallbiz Development Centers offering free business counseling 4 biz owners. Competitive advantage ppl

–Yes. St. Peter Univ President: “#sustainability is about a moral & ethical responsibility to future generations”

–Love that #green team action gets ppl involved in local gov’t & their towns win-win 4 stronger communities

–Glad NJDEP rep con’td w/ #sustainability progress needs mindset change for long-term investment & returns 2/2

–NJDEP rep starts w/ short-term vision that #sustainability is “keep ppl employed & keep biz going” …. 1/2

–+1 Pam Mount defines #sustainability as #njenviro plus local economies & equity issues like fair wages and health insurance

–Terhune Orchards #smallbiz owner Pam Mount talking #sustainability & growing @sj_program as well as food for #nj families #GreenBizSummit

–Vivian Brady-Phillips Deputy Mayor, #JerseyCity-turning brown fields into parks for people

–Tweeting at #NJ #Sustainability & #smallbiz Summit in #jerseycity

 

Great debunking by @thinkprogress @emorwee: Congressman: Don’t trust climate scientists, they’re in it for the money http://t.co/lTnkYc4Rm9

+1 MT @MichaelEMann @sawtoothwave Make your voice heard. Vote, write ltrs to the editor, educate yr friends, colleagues, family. #AskDrMann

Want change? Dig in the dirt. Thx u @robintransition. Pls read @drgrist http://t.co/R5nygSwxno

YES “… of the things they love, of place, of possibility, of things their children love and value. 2/2 http://t.co/R5nygSwxno

READ: “We need to speak to peoples’ values, of community, of family….”1/2 http://t.co/R5nygSwxno @robintransition #susty @buildresilience

Instructive 4 how #NJ gov’t works MT @njdotcom NJ sells controversial pension investment tied to MA gov candidate http://t.co/IVDdm84pNC

RT @NewEconomics: Why the Climate Movement Must Stand with Ferguson http://t.co/s5Rv3r8350

This is imp bc Texas drives the nat’l textbook mkt MT @cgiller TX proposes schl books 2 deny manmade #climate change http://t.co/39SzSmfUjh

@RL_Miller Yeah. And even better–what if we fix #climate change & it’s actually really good for our families http://t.co/I5flx9zhFh

Interesting! Thanks Julie MT @TaigaCompany Illinois Considers GHG Metric for Evaluating Utility Performance – http://t.co/mqwVXbj0FR

How about #NJ gets a coordinated #climate plan? Thx @NJSierraClub’s Jeff Tittel OpEd on shore rebuilding http://t.co/6lpuusxcSq

Watching….Launch of a new Climate Economy Commission report for #climate action http://t.co/8kFxuR2aHF #ncereport

Great explainer MT @njspotlight Sen. Bill Package Cld Fundamentally Change #NJ Power Sector http://t.co/B1pliwzc80 @NewJerseyPACE #njenviro

Way to go @emorwee MT @climateprogress 7 big food co.s say #climate change poses a threat to their products http://t.co/dtAIcLNfga #csr

@NJ_Politics: Resolution aiming to stop Christie keeping N.J. out of emissions pact OKed by Senate panel http://t.co/PV8qF0tBw2

Super interesting that Exxon prices #carbon the highest of energy co.s. Thx for reporting @joconfino @GuardianSustBiz http://t.co/4aZmQXPUq7

Concrete win-win examples by @Jeanawirtenberg: How #NJ big biz are helping #smallbiz #sustainability http://t.co/8irsg1dBYC

Like that 1st pt is positive action to #InvestinClimate 160 Environmentalists’ #Climate Declaration http://t.co/evbEmtYap0 H/T @drgrist

Comments wanted MT @joconfino Who are the top tweeters on #economic transformation? @GuardianSustBiz http://t.co/hFFhLkKwle #susty #socimp Sep 15, 2014

Who speaks for your #smallbiz?Read @ASBCouncil research on what biz owners really want #Sustainability @triplepundit http://t.co/TmYTjHGVLn

#NJ Senate takes up #RGGI re-join today http://t.co/E12Yntx4SY #ACPress @wjmckelvey #njenviro

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The Business Case for NJ to Rejoin RGGI–From the American Sustainable Business Council-New Jersey

Posted with permission by the American Sustainable Business Council-New Jersey.

This letter was sent as submitted comments on the NJDEP’s proposal to formally repeal the law that allowed NJ to be part of the multi-state RGGI clean-energy coalition.

September 5, 2014

Submitted Comments Opposing Governor Christie’s NJDEP Proposed Repeal of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Regulations

Alice Previte, Esq.
Attn: DEP Docket No. 04-14-15
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Legal Affairs
P.O. Box 402
401 E. State Street, Seventh Floor
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

Dear Ms. Previte:

Please accept these comments on behalf of the American Sustainable Business Council-NJ, representing diverse companies and business associations, regarding NJDEP Docket No. 04-14-15.

The American Sustainable Business Council-New Jersey and its network of NJ-based business owners and supporters are dedicated to pursuing a sustainable economy in New Jersey.  Therefore, we request the reinstatement of New Jersey into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Throughout the Northeast, RGGI has consistently shown that it contributes to bolstering state financial coffers, while also reducing greenhouse emissions. RGGI also serves to stimulate new markets for renewables and clean energy technologies, which lead to additional job growth and the attraction of new financial investment capital.

As business leaders in New Jersey, we see RGGI as a very smart investment; one that mitigates the risk of climate change, while producing much needed revenue and the cause of many new, well paid, in-state jobs. RGGI demonstrates that economic gain and environmental stewardship are entirely compatible. RGGI is a business investment that pays significant dividends with almost no associated risk.

We call upon Governor Christie to re-engage New Jersey in RGGI for the following reasons:

1/ RGGI is a market-based and impactful way for New Jersey to reduce its global warming emissions, while at the same expanding its clean energy economy.

2/ RGGI is a source of revenue. New Jersey can generate millions of dollars in carbon revenues through RGGI. These dollars can be invested in local economic opportunities. Prior to its withdrawal from RGGI in 2011, New Jersey raised over $113 million in revenues.

3/ RGGI helps to mitigate the very real risks of climate change. Rising sea levels and extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy demonstrate the economic risks associated with inaction. RGGI is a prudent insurance policy against further damage.

4/ RGGI is an effective and flexible way for New Jersey to comply with EPA’s recently announced draft carbon standard for power plants.

5/ Residents of New Jersey want climate action. An overwhelming majority (80%) of citizens support limits on carbon emissions.

RGGI is a proven program that generates benefits for businesses, creates jobs and provides a positive impact on the economy.

Since 2009, the program has helped to:

  • Reduce climate-altering carbon pollution by almost 30 percent;
  • Cut electricity prices by 8 percent;
  • Create more than 23,000 job-years of work;
  • Lock in more than $1.8 billion in long-term savings on energy bills; and
  • Add more than $2.4 billion in economic activity to the region.”

As business leaders, we recognize a good investment when we see one, and RGGI stands out as a clear case in point. RGGI is only an early example of the adjustments and steps we will all have to make in the dawning era of climate change recognition, but it is one that has proven its worth to us within the NJ business community.

We encourage the Christie Administration to appreciate the business case for rejoining RGGI.

Sincerely,

Matt Polsky

Business Engagement Manager
American Sustainable Business Council-New Jersey

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This Week’s Reading, Writing, Links

Catch The Economist article called The New Green Wave. I appreciate that CSR’s future includes license to operate in a changed world http://t.co/SFOnzjpNmD

RSVP: Sept. 18 NJ Sustainability Summit. Focus on small biz success & leadership http://t.co/VbELob2eXj

+1 for Hamilton Nolan’s response to sky-fell-oh-well WSJ carbon tax op-ed. Count me in for climate action hope http://t.co/iKkYDAL3g5

Good read: How sustainability leaders hold steady over the long haul http://t.co/HDcvdwW1CN

NJ sits on sidelines while our neighbors fight for our health & safety in EPA lawsuits http://t.co/PnCgRBvry3

GREAT explainer: Stop Trying to Kill EPA’s Carbon Rule http://t.co/PnCgRBvry3

US Resilience Project offering a “How-To” biz resilience workshop 9/16 at NJIT http://t.co/nY3n5VjfE4

Breath of fresh air for CSR: no-smokes leadership–here’s to better health. Kudos CVS Health http://t.co/n3qudMwljT

Glad NYT is adding a climate editor. We need more biz sustainability reporting. http://t.co/Wk7V9tDjP0

Dave Roberts is back! http://t.co/aF7pgcAvuT

Big idea for a big problem but how real? Via FastCompany: Secaucus testing solar-power commuter pods http://t.co/4baYnwgoPI

Rising tide lifts all boats so paddle hard RT @chrisleewilson The key to success is to focus on the needs of others.

What’s next for “responsible business”…my susty convo w/ Christine Bader for Earth People Media http://t.co/KaVMMB9Cnb

New Jersey PACE’s Sept. 4 press event & plan to power AC’s economic recovery w/ clean energy http://t.co/QuQILDpIo3

Listen in: @ASBCouncil & @GinaEPA Sep. 4 to discuss #climate policy & #smallbiz http://t.co/e1yNMRd3dU

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5 Ways NJ Used to Be a Clean Energy and Climate Leader…and Could Be Again

New Jersey used to be clean energy and climate leader.

We’re not anymore. But we can be again. (Newsroom!)

Here are 5 things that have changed since Governor Christie first took office in January 2010.

(I’m indebted to Scott Dodd’s Nov. 2013 Slate and Katherine Bagley’s Dec. 2013 InsideClimate pieces. They connected a lot of the dots for me and provided important links in this post.)

1. We used to have an office of Climate and Energy.

It was dismantled by Governor Christie soon after he was inaugurated in January 2010. But thanks to the Internet, we can see how Global Warming used to have a prominent role on the state government’s website, with links to the Office of Climate and Energy. See, the old page is still there.

Solution: Sign the “Create Office of Clean Energy” bill that was approved by both houses of our Legislature but pocket vetoed by Governor Christie on Wed, Jan. 22.

2. We used to be part of RGGI.

RGGI (pronounced “Reggie”) is a multi-state cap-and-trade system that creates jobs, brings clean energy investment to the state, and moves us closer to NJ’s mandated 2020 GHG emissions goals.

Its current members are the nine states that surround NJ: CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NY, RI, and VT.

And we used to make 10. Governor Christie pulled NJ out of RGGI in 2011 and has twice vetoed efforts to let the voters decide. We’re missing out on good jobs, cleaner air, and clean energy growth.

Solution: Let’s rejoin. The best move on the table right now is to sue, and that’s what’s happening.

On Jan. 8, three NJ appellate court judges heard testimony from Environment New Jersey and the Natural Resources Defense Council based on the lawsuit they filed in 2012.

Here’s a good article from Environment New Jersey on what’s at stake.

3. We could have been part of the NE “Clean Air” coalition.

The governors of our neighboring Northeastern states decided that it’s not OK for states West and South of us to spew their coal-plant air pollution our way.

So, the Governors of those states are asking the EPA for help to stop it: DE, CT, ML, MA, NH, NY, RI, and VT.

Gov. Christie decided that NJ didn’t need to be part of this effort so he didn’t sign on.

Solution: Come on. Let’s join all our neighbors in fighting for cleaner air.

4. We used to be #2 in solar installations.

Now we’re #6. That’s right, NJ was the #2 state for solar for several years behind gigantic, sunny California.

You want to know why solar is such a good fit for NJ’s clean energy needs? Because we have so many darned big flat roofs on our commercial buildings. Not to mention, a bevy of formerly-industrial brownfield sites that are perfect for solar arrays. And close to the all-important power distribution grid.

So what changed? It’s complicated but it has to do with how NJ set up financial incentives called SRECs, federal cash grants, state incentives, and the 2008 financial crisis. (This July 2012 Star-Ledger article will help.)

As well, Christie raided dedicated clean-energy funds to balance his budget. Like $1billion.

Solution: Let’s reestablish the Office of Clean Energy (See #1) and let them do their job.

5. Our Governor used to believe that taking action against human-caused climate change was a state priority for his office.

As recently as 2011, Governor Christie said: “In the past I’ve always said that climate change is real and it’s impacting our state.”

Not anymore. His equivocations around using the words Sandy and climate change in the same sentence are well documented. One long but well-worth-it read.

Solution: Governor Christie can step firmly and decisively on the right side of history and even be a leader for climate change action.

* * *

Remember the slogan “Trenton Makes, the World Takes?” That’s not just a slogan.

New Jersey has a proud history of getting the job done.

There’s no more important issue facing us today than preparing for climate change impacts. We can and should be doing it right now.

Want to be part of the solution?

Come to the Feb. 20 NJPPN event with Geoffrey Feinberg from Yale University’s Project on Climate Change Communication and Climate Nexus. It’s called “America’s Future: Communicating with our Neighbors on Climate Change.”

RSVP today.

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Jan. 8 is NJ Enviros’ Next Stop to Rejoin RGGI

NJ’s not in RGGI.

But it should be.

RGGI is a multi-state cap-and-trade system that creates jobs, brings clean energy investment to the state, and moves us closer to NJ’s 2020 GHG emissions goals. (That are mandated by the state’s 2007 Global Warming Response Act.)

Governor Christie pulled NJ out of RGGI in 2011 and has vetoed efforts to let the voters decide twice.

The only move now is to go around him.

Next stop is a Jan. 8 hearing on the matter by three NJ appellate court judges.

Via cleantechnica:

Can Climate Hawks Beat Chris Christie To Let New Jersey Rejoin RGGI?

Two developments this month, one in the state legislature and the other in the state court system, have re-opened the debate on New Jersey’s participation in RGGI’s cap-and-trade program and raise the possibility it can continue decarbonizing power generation while earning millions in clean energy investment.
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Green Politics: GHG Emissions Flame Debate in DC and Trenton

Keep an eye on greenhouse gas emissions as a hotly contested political issue, playing out at the Federal and state levels.

Inside the Beltway, National Journal reporter Amy Harder asks:

What’s at Stake in Climate Debate?  in the legal fight over the Obama administration’s power to regulate carbon emissions:

This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments over four major lawsuits challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change.

…

What is at stake in the lawsuits regarding EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions? Will EPA or its challengers, which include a wide range of industry organizations and some states, prevail? Should the Obama administration or Congress do anything on climate change right now?

Well, she got some really interesting replies from completely opposite ends of the climate change conversation.

I’m spending time this week learning about where Climate Change skeptics are coming from. This exchange is giving me an eyeful.

What motivates someone to disavow the collected scientific consensus? What sources inform their conclusions? Who’s paying who for what? What are they really arguing for?

And closer to home in Trenton, environmental advocates and business interest square off against NJ’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The bill to keep NJ in the regional pollution-curbing consortium is on a a full vote and then the Governor’s desk.

Via Frank Brill at Enviropolitics Blog:

RGGI Revival Legislation Clears NJ Senate Ccommittee

“Is RGGI a failed program that has not reduced greenhouse gases but has jacked up electric costs? Or is it an evolving model for how other states, too, should be working to cut CO2 while boosting clean energy projects?”

And via NJ Spotlight, Tom Johnson’s excellent round-up of the positions and players:

Lawmakers, Environmentalists Want NJ Back in Greenhouse Gas Initiative

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee yesterday voted unanimously, joined by a Republican legislator, to vote out a bill (S-1322) that would force the state to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a 10-state cooperative effort that established a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Will Governor Christie veto it again like last year? We’ll have to wait and see.