Sun 27 Oct 2013
Letter #211
Dear President Obama,
So Argentina needs money, so for $1.2 Billion investment they are letting Chevron drill 100 wells in Patagonia looking for oil and shale gas and letting Chevron have 50% of the profit in perpetuity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/business/energy-environment/argentinas-oil-ambitions-create-unlikely-alliance-with-chevron.html?pagewanted=all
Argentina gets short term cash at great expense to the environment, and the health of the planet. Chevron is the bad guy here – its like selling candy to children. Luckily people are getting better informed and Chevron is encountering heated resistance from Argentina’s Environmentalists. Hooray for them. Boo to their President. Notice also another common thread: the drilling is in Remote Patagonia – so Chevron thought they could get away with their dirty business – thought people wouldn’t notice. But they are wrong. I hope Argentina protects Patagonia from drilling and I ask YOU to please STOP the Keystone XL Pipeline. Put your support behind Global Environmentalists from Pennsylvania to Patagonia!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Oppose Drilling in Patagonia
Monday 28 Oct 2013
Letter #212
Dear President Obama,
I visited Vermont this weekend, drove around the lovely winding woods looking at beautiful trees and covered bridges and farm houses nestled among trees. They do things on a small-scale there – artisan cheese – family apple orchards. We cause less damage with small local projects. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. It’s big, dirty, and unnecessary.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Love Vermont Cheese
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Wednesday 30 Oct 2013
Letter #213
Dear President Obama,
I went to a Candidates Night for Cambridge City Council candidates this evening (while many others were watching the Red Sox win the World Series…). The evening was hosted by Green Cambridge and the candidates were asked about various environmental issues, both local and global. They had been given the questions ahead of time so there were no surprises. What struck me the most was that although all the candidates present said they supported the environment, few had concrete plans for action. (About 2/3 of the candidates showed up at the event – the others were invited but declined). So it’s good politics in Cambridge to talk green, but far fewer are focused on action. So I ask you to please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW. This will show clearly that you are focused on environmental action. We urgently need to act. Please help put your energy into useful action to reduce carbon pollution.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Green Talk is not Enough
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Thurs 31 Oct 2013
Letter # 214
Dear President Obama,
I read with interest today about a Washington State ballot measure to require genetically modified foods to be labelled. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/us/vote-on-labeling-modified-food-spurs-costly-battle-in-washington-state.html
Big food and agribusiness have spent $29 million trying to defeat it! Opponents use the same specious arguments they used in CA – shouting that meat and dairy and exempted. Well yes – this is not about animal products, it’s about plants we grow. I support Yes on 522 because it gives consumers more information. Big business can slow down these measures, but I doubt they can stop them. Time will tell if I am right.
Specious arguments are common political tools. Big oil says it doesn’t matter whether you allow the Keystone XL Pipeline to be built because Canada will keep drilling. But it does matter. It’s very important on the World Stage for you to say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline. Please do it today. We urgently need to reduce carbon emissions world wide. We urgently need to stop Big Oil from ruining the planet for us all.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Ignore Specious Arguments
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Fri 1 November 2013
Letter #215
Dear President Obama,
I read yesterday that Alberta Tar Sands crude is traveling by rail to US refineries. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/business/energy-environment/looking-for-a-way-around-keystone-xl-canadian-oil-hits-the-rails.html?pagewanted=all
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I’m happy that the opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline and the other trans-Canada pipeline to British Columbia has had this result. You know, a pipeline can only carry oil (or gas? I don’t know) but a railway can carry lots of things efficiently. So when we get smart enough to stop mining the Tar Sands, the rail lines can be used for other things. North America needs more rail lines – we should have them criss crossing everywhere like in Europe. So please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline – it’s a very short-sighted project – and it’s dead wrong. And maybe Transcanada – that builds so many pipelines – can morph into building other infrastructures that humans can use like railroads and rail terminals and things I haven’t even thought of. So hooray for railroads. Koo koo ca choo!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Railroad Fan
Sat 2 November 2013
Letter #216
Dear President Obama,
This piece of paper is a little rumpled because I carried around the pad all day, thinking I would get to writing you sooner. I first thought of using a fresh sheet, out of respect, but decided that it also shows respect that I think about you and about climate change more than just the few – or sometimes many – minutes I spend almost each day writing these letters. And this sheet of paper also reminds me of an expression I heard from a dear friend. She wrote, in a letter, that “life goes on at its usual raggedy pace.” I’m sure that if my life seems fragmented and disorderly at times, you must feel those tensions so much more with all the responsibility you carry. So raggedy is OK, it’s natural, don’t beat yourself up, but please please find time for the important things – please say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline. It’s a very important small step. It will resonate, it will energize many with hope and joy for all the good we humans can do to pull ourselves out of this planet-wide climate mess and minimize the losses. Let’s cut carbon emissions rapidly so what’s usual to us in climate remains usual for long in the future.Â
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Appreciate Life’s Raggedy Pace
Sunday 3 November 2013
Letter #217
Dear President Obama,
Japan is building floating wind turbines with all Japanese steel and technology.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/business/international/to-expand-offshore-power-japan-builds-floating-windmills.html?pagewanted=all
That’s good for their economy and their energy future. I learned that Japan has more coastline than the US, and also that they don’t have a continental shell like the US, but lots of pretty deep water close to shore. This just emphasizes how we need to solve energy issues with appropriate local solutions. The wind turbine for Holland may not be identical to the one for Japan. Hooray to Japan for using large infrastructure projects to help their economy. But we have to choose what infrastructure. Japan chooses renewable energy. We need to do the same. Please say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline – it is a very short term project. Please say YES to renewables and the infrastructure that supports them. Therein lies the energy FUTURE of us all.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, More Infrastructure for Renewables
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Monday 4 November 2013
Letter #218
Dear President Obama,
Today I’ll send an email to a few friends suggesting who they vote for for city council in Cambridge. Many many registered voters here don’t vote in the local election – only in state and federal elections. This is a mistake. I find that my one vote doesn’t count for much in the big elections, but locally my vote counts much more. Here in Cambridge, the city council is elected by proportional representation. The top 9 vote-getters win. The difference between #9 who gets elected and #10 who does not, can be 85 votes! Now that’s where every vote counts.
Please say no to the Keystone XL Pipeline. Put your pen on the line and vote to stop an unneeded and wasteful pipeline. Let’s keep that awful Tars Sands in the ground.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Every Vote Counts
Tuesday 5 Nov 2013
Letter #219
Dear President Obama,
The article the other day about Poland’s dependency on coal for electricity was both shocking and hopeful. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/business/energy-environment/poland-wedded-to-coal-spurns-europe-on-clean-energy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Poland must wean itself from coal – that is undeniable – it is unconscionable that 88% of their electricity comes from coal. But considering Poland’s abysmal emission levels, this makes the EU emission levels look better. The other EU countries are doing all sorts of things to reduce their emissions, and even with Poland pulling them down, they do better than the US. Shame on us for not doing more!
Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline! Stop it now! There is no justification for delay. This is urgent. We must set a better example in the world.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Less Coal, Less Oil, More Sun + Wind
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Wed 6 Nov 2013
Letter #220
Dear President Obama,
I was happy to read on Saturday that LED light bulbs are coming down in price, and also that some companies like CREE are putting a priority not just on price, but on light quality and color. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/business/energy-environment/this-little-led-of-mine.html?pagewanted=all
Soon all the incandescent will be gone and we will get our light using a lot less electricity. Hooray for efficient light bulbs. But efficiency is not enough. We need to quickly cut our use of fossil fuels – we need to replace them with renewables. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Stop it NOW! It’s really important for you to show your position on GHG emissions by stopping this wasteful misguided pipeline.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Like CREE LED Bulbs
