Wednesday, June 25, 2008

McCain wants to drill in the Great Lakes


How would some nice oil platforms look sitting just off the shore of Lake Erie? That would be a great sight looking north from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, eh? Sen. John McCain's support for offshore oil drilling is primed to become a campaign issue. In a letter to McCain, Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago asks McCain to "clarify" his position on drilling in the Great Lakes, which, Emanuel, who obviously passed geography in high school points out, are bordered by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. "As you are undoubtedly aware, in 2005 a bipartisan majority in Congress enacted a permanent ban on drilling for oil and gas in the Great Lakes," Emanuel wrote. "Drilling in the Great Lakes would adversely affect millions of Americans in the eight states that border these lakes, further endanger the ecological web and threaten the beauty of our shores." McCain has come out in support of offshore drilling -- a flip flop on his previous position -- and most experts agree it would do nothing to help oil and gas prices for at least 20 years.
For my money, if anything goes offshore, let's do a forest of wind turbines.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Quote for the Weekend


"Make a list of people in your life in whose company you feel more alive, happy, and optimistic. Make an effort to spend more time with them. Our spiritual selves resonate with others, and that connection is a healing." -- Andrew Weil

Friday, June 20, 2008

Green jobs


Northeast Ohio gets some play in a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, which begins . . . "Kathleen Loa first began thinking about pursuing a green career while she was a student at Oberlin College. Now, armed with a degree in chemistry, she is taking the first step in that direction. She’s serving as an intern at the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy in Washington, D.C. After earning a master’s in energy policy, she’ll find a job." Check it out!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Bamboo to you!


It can be stronger than iron, yet fragile as paper. It can be eaten as well as worn. As a source of medicine, it can heal. It cleans the air and makes music in the wind. Cathy Sherman from Natural News reported that as the fastest growing woody plant on earth, bamboo has a short growth cycle. Some bamboo species can grow up to one meter daily, which makes it a rapidly renewable resource. Because it is so versatile and high-yielding, it solves the problem of replenishing many consumables within a short time. Check out this cool article on bamboo.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Tribe goes green


Is it possible that the baseball team that has frustrated us for more than 60 years scores some bonus points by being, gulp, green? According to a news item on WKYC's web site, the Cleveland Indians are leading the way as one of the Major League's recycling leaders. Well, judging by their 33-40 record, they aren't doing anything right on the field, but at least they're doing something right in the way they pursue a certain green standard.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Quote for the Weekend


"I know a planet where there is a certain red-faced gentleman. He has never smelled a flower. He has never looked at a star. He has never loved any one. He has never done anything in his life but add up figures. And all day he says over and over, just like you: 'I am busy with matters of consequence!' And that makes him swell up with pride. But he is not a man--he is a mushroom!" -- The Little Prince

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Working green


From today's Plain Dealer: How do you define a "green" job? In its purest sense, a green job is an occupation that wouldn't exist if not for the growing movement to conserve resources and make businesses more environmentally conscious. Something like a sustainable-practices coordinator at a large corporation. Or maybe a person who analyzes wind conditions to see it they're ripe for spinning turbine blades. More broadly, a green job also is a traditional vocation carried out in support of a green purpose. An accountant at a company that makes solar panels. An electrician who installs solar panels when not performing routine wiring jobs. But if the definition of a green job is hard to get your hands around, the ability to land one shouldn't be, especially in Cleveland, where industries as diverse as farming, renewable energy and an emerging business called deconstruction show promise. Read the entire piece here.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Summer program


A New Sunday Summer Program, "Boy's Club," for boys ages 10-18 will be held at Unity of Medina for 12 weeks from June 15 - August 31. It will be held on Sunday mornings at 11 AM. Twelve men are volunteering their time to discuss the timely and practical book George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down. Two men will lead per Sunday. This is to give boys an opportunity to be with men for good male mentoring and role modeling. This may be especially helpful for boys who don't always have a father or father figure in their lives or boys who don't already have church support in their lives. There will be an outdoor group activity at the end of the summer for the men and boys to celebrate!
For more information call 330-764-7999 office or email unityofmedina@aol.com

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Quote for the Weekend


"An artist has come for a different purpose. Maybe a self-help group -- maybe a Dr. Phil -- would say, 'How you doin'?' I don't want to get harsh and say I don't care. You do care, you care in a big way, otherwise you wouldn't be there. But it's a different kind of connection. It's not a light thing." -- Bob Dylan

Friday, June 6, 2008

Emotions Anonymous


Human emotions are a necessary part of every person's life. Life becomes difficult when emotions get out of control. On Sunday June 8, you can attend a meeting of Emotions Anonymous, a 12-step organization similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. Their weekly meetings faciliate emotional recovery. The gathering will be held at the Cleveland/Fairview Park YMCA, 15501 Lorain Rd., in Cleveland, at 2:45 p.m. For more information, call Tina at 216-812-1275.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Green travel


Climate change and peak oil (among other developments) are requiring a profound transformation in the way we travel - the attempt to maintain such mobility while radically reducing (or even eliminating) carbon emissions and other adverse environmental impacts of travel. According to an article in LOHAS online, there are a number of companies carrying out efforts to accomodate green travel. People are flying less, people are driving less: these companies have to do something and they are.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It's electric!


Rocker Neil Young sometimes puts down his acoustic guitar and goes electric, more often than not with his band Crazy Horse. But now, Young is finding another way to go electric. He has teamed up with Johnathan Goodwin, a Wichita mechanic who has developed a national reputation for re-engineering the power units of big cars to get more horsepower but use less fuel. The two are looking to convert Young's 1959 Lincoln Continental convertible to operate on an electric battery. Ultimately, they said, they want the Continental to provide a model for the world's first affordable mass-produced electric-powered automobile. General Motors may have killed the electric car, according to an amazing documentary, but Young is trying to bring it back. Read the entire article here.