Vote Green!

It’s just a few hours until the first polls will open in what might be considered one of the greatest election of our time.

We hope by now that everyone has had a chance to review the candidates’ positions on the key issues. To pump you up for tomorrow, we thought it would be fitting to review the highlights from each of the candidates’ environmental policies.

Read with care and when voting be sure to think about the state of the world today and how you hope to leave it for future generations.

Happy voting!

CLIMATE CHANGE
* Obama's economic plan would cut carbon dioxide emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and require fuel suppliers to cut carbon content by 10 percent by 2020.
* McCain's policy favors a local level adaptation plan, based upon national and regional scientific assessments of the impacts of climate change. He sponsored legislation in 2007 to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2050.

GASOLINE PRICES
* Obama's plan would probe energy industry activities and stop filling the emergency oil reserve.
* McCain's plan would suspend the federal gasoline tax during the peak summer driving season and suspend filling the emergency oil reserve, a stockpile designed to ensure the United States has a cushion of crude oil to cope with major supply disruptions.

OIL USE AND PRODUCTION
* Obama's policy would aim to reduce overall U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030 to offset imports from OPEC nations.
* McCain's plan supports expanding domestic oil exploration and production

VEHICLE FUEL ECONOMY
* Obama's policy would double fuel economy standards in 18 years, give automakers tax credits to retool plants and invest in advanced lightweight materials and new engines.
* McCain's plan would increase CAFE standards (mileage requirements that manufacturers' cars must meet). He believes penalties for not following these standards must be effective enough to compel all carmakers to produce fuel-efficient vehicles.

BIOFUELS
* Obama's plan favors boosting the renewable fuel standard to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030, building the ethanol distribution infrastructure, mandating that all new vehicles be "flex-fuel" by the end of 2012 and seeking production of 2 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol from non-corn sources like switchgrass by 2013.
* McCain's policies support flex-fuel vehicles and aim to eliminate mandates, subsidies, tariffs and price supports that focus exclusively on corn-based ethanol and prevent the development of market-based solutions, which would create better options for fuel needs.

Facebook Energy

I spent too much time on Facebook this weekend. Who's doing what? Following the debate on the debate... the usual stuff.

But it seemed the chatter on Facebook was higher than usual. Was there bad weather this weekend? Are people actually taking ABC's "National Stay at Home Week" to heart and watching the latest (un)reality TV shows? ABC even suggest this is good for the environment and the economy: Stay home, save gas.




Hmmm. Maybe they hit on something. Here are a few comments on Facebook from my usually "on-the-go" friends:

"Pretty crazy. There is some gas to be found, but the wait has been long. Yesterday I went to 5 stations close to my house and none had gas. Luckily the one I went to today had people directing traffic in and out and they were doing a good job moving people through. People are running out of gas looking for gas!"

"Melissa is staying at home because there is no gas!"

"Jackie is stranded at home this weekend with a quarter of a tank of gas and tapped out gas stations in Atlanta."

"I hear that...I had actual PLANS tonight...have to choose...social, tennis match tomorrow, work next week? Still up for debate."


Now there are lots of insights I could offer, all of which are immediately apparent: The power of social networks like Facebook to make problems instantly shared and global. The psychological impact of perceived shortages (think bread line references all week by the candidates). The lack of back-ups to automobiles in fast-growing "modern" cities like Charlotte and Atlanta, which have woeful public transportation systems. How marketing ideas like ABC's always benefit from good (or bad) timing.

For now, I leave you only with the image below and the reminder that we can't wait another thirty years to address the same issue.