NRCM Blog

Going on (a green) vacation

I read an interesting column in today's Kennebec Journal about the columnist's difficulty staying "green" while she and her family went away for a vacation.  You can read the full piece by Liz Soars here: kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/view/columns/6774323.html.  But I will share a piece of it with you now:

"We are avid recyclers, and have a system at home involving plastic bins for returnables and plastic milk jugs, a wooden box for newspapers and, of course, our city-issued green buckets for cans and glass. We wash the tins and jars and toss them into the appropriate bucket or bin. Then we set them out on the curb on the appropriate day.

Couldn't be easier. And yet, nothing could be harder on vacation. The cans and glass still accumulate; actually, at a faster rate, as I don't want to be whipping up meals from scratch three times a day when I'm supposed to be enjoying a retreat from everyday duties.

But while we carefully rinsed and stored (in yet another brown paper bag) all our returnables, the other cans and glass went straight into the trash."

So, this got me to thinking - what is it that you do to make your vacations greener?  Do you think about all of the things that Ms. Soares thought about?  I wonder if you have tips for going green while going on holiday.  If so, please share them here so that others can take them into consideration when they head out before summer's end or as they travel this fall and winter.

I know that there are even some travel agencies who specialize in "green travel" - have you ever used one of these agencies?  If so, what has been your experience?

Have you stayed closer to home this summer because of the economy?  If so, did you find a great vacation location right here in Maine?

I know that most of the summer's weather didn't cooperate with vacations (with my vacations anyway...I picked the rainiest weeks of the summer!), but now that the weather is better, I have been out and about enjoying the warm summer weather.

My mother and I went on a windjammer cruise out of Portland - two hours on an 85-year-old schooner that was built in 1924 in East Boothbay and has sailed all over the world.  What a beautiful way to see Portland Harbor and the Portland waterfront - as well as Portland Headlight, Bug Light, and Spring Point lighthouse.

I hope you are all having a great summer!  Hope to hear from you!

- Beth, Public Affairs Coordinator

National climate blogger calls Mainers to action

The U.S. must get its act together and pass federal climate legislation if we hope to avert a climate disaster. This was the message from climate scientist and clean energy expert Dr. Joe Romm at an August 18th NRCM event at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Romm edits the nation's most read climate blog (www.climateprogress.org) and served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. To hear more from Joe Romme, visit the "NRCM Insider."

The fossil fuel industry has launched a massive disinformation campaign and is bankrolling fraudulent lobbying tactics to block passage of climate and clean energy legislation, according to Romm. He explained that the climate bill passed in the House of Representatives this summer will create a huge number of clean energy jobs, especially through massive funding of energy efficiency programs through revenues from a cap and trade program. Establishing a cap on carbon emissions and investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy will be absolutely critical for reducing carbon emissions.

"Anyone who is paying attention to what we are doing to the climate knows that we'd better do something." Romm encouraged Maine people to contact Senator Olympia Snowe (207) 874-8883 and Senator Susan Collins (207) 780-3575 to urge their support and leadership in passing strong climate and clean energy legislation this year. NRCM is encouraging members and activist to get involved in the nation’s most significant environmental legislation in a generation.

Whether or not you’ve attended an event like this one with Joe Romm, we’d like to hear from you here on our blog about your efforts to take action. Did you make a call to one of the Senators? Or write a letter? What motivated you? Did you get a response?

Dylan Voorhees, NRCM Clean Energy Project Director