Sunday 26 Jan 2014
Letter #291 (2nd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
Exxon Mobil has been spending a lot of money on “Happy Happy” ads in the New York Times in the last two months. Some are incomprehensible – like this one: “because of gasoline’s high energy density your car doesn’t have to carry as much fuel compared to the other energy sources”– say what? So it would be worse if cars burned coal? And we carried little wagons behind us!? And what is energy density? Gladly I think this ad raises more puzzlement then warm fuzzy feelings for gasoline! And look at this awful picture of light pollution and energy waste! I hope that all this advertising means Exxon knows fossil fuels have a PR problem!
So please stop the Keystone XL pipeline TODAY! Let’s all show Exxon for the stick in the mud old-school company they are. Let’s switch quickly to renewables! By the way, what’s the “energy density” of solar power? Energy density is just a made up happy phrase!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Exxon Ads Miss the Mark
Monday 27 Jan 2014
Letter #292
Dear President Obama,
The city of Cambridge has 6173 streetlights and 848 Park lights. They are going to replace them all with LED lights over the next three years and from then on will save 40% from current energy usage! This is great news! I am lucky to live in a city with enough capital to fund these kinds of projects. It would be great if every city in the US switched to LEDs. It would be great if the federal government could lend the money to provide bonds for this kind of work. We need to reduce our energy consumption and get off fossil fuels! Please stop the Keystone XL pipeline to show your support for carbon emissions reduction. Please do it now – and think about how the government can speed the transition to clean energy.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Love LED Street Lights
Monday 27 Jan 2014
Letter #293 (2nd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
I was happy to read recently that the largest oil companies are selling off many assets:
Shell is selling their interest in an Australian LNG project to Kuwait, ENI sold its Mozambique stake last year. In recent years the biggest global oil companies have invested so much in new projects that their profits are way down. The smartest of these companies are selling off the fossil fuel projects with the longest lead times because they see that the world is changing and carbon taxes loom on the horizon. The climate has changed, people are noticing, and Big Oil is cutting its losses. This is great news. So please do your part! Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW! It is another Big Dirty Oil project the world does not need. Do us all a favor. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Shell Smart to Sell Assets
Tuesday 28 Jan 2014
Letter #294
Dear President Obama,
I moved to Cambridge Mass. exactly a year ago. As I reflect on the past year, I am a little sad that I have not made as many new friends as I had hoped, but I realize that these things take time and am happy with my choice to move here. My smaller social web has given me the desire and time to write to you all of these letters, and that accomplishment makes me proud. When one cares deeply about an issue, it is important to walk-the-walk as well as talk-the-talk. My almost 300 letters to you surely indicate my commitment to action to limit carbon emissions and lessen the scope of climate change. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline today. Show your commitment. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Walking the Walk
Tuesday 28 Jan 2014
Letter #295 (2nd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
I write to you today about two recent articles about rail safety rules that need urgent and immediate updating due to the surge of transport of Bakken and Tar Sands crude oil by RAIL.
Two-thirds of the one-million barrels a day of Bakken production goes by rail. It travels on DOT 111 freight cars that were designed for milk, corn syrup, vegetable oil, NOT flammable liquids. NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman says “this is a huge change in what is being transported.” Until we get safer cars the only safe thing to do is SHORTER TRAINS, SLOWER SPEED. We need to SLOW the FLOW of this TOXIC FLAMMABLE DIRTY OIL. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline today! No more pipelines, shorter trains, let’s limit the flow of fossil fuels across our lands. We are addicted to fossil fuels and need to cut back. We need to start addressing our addiction. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Rail Safety is Important
Tuesday 28 Jan 2014
Letter #296 (3rd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
Pete Seeger died yesterday at the age of 94.
When he was asked in a 2012 interview how he would like to be remembered, he said: “He made up songs to try and persuade people to do something” not just say something. Persuading people to act on their convictions is a vital catalyst of change. I’m not nearly as good at persuasion as I’d like to be, but in honor of Pete Seeger, I write to you today to try and persuade you to Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Climate change is upon us and will only get worse. We need to aggressively act now to end our dependence on fossil fuels. Is the next song going to be: “Where have all the Glaciers Gone?” Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Homage to Pete Seeger
Wednesday 29 Jan 2014
Letter #297
Dear President Obama,
My only sister lives in the UK and I don’t see her very often. In her Christmas letter to friends this past year she wrote mostly of their travels, but I was pleased that she also mentioned that I traveled last February to Washington DC to “protest outside the White House.” That was the “Forward on Climate, No KXL” Rally on 17 Feb 2013. She didn’t mention what I was protesting, perhaps couldn’t remember, or didn’t think it important. It is important to me and many others. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW. I am quite sure that now, after many months of these letters, she knows that it is CLIMATE CHANGE I am worried about. I hope that my actions and those of many other activists have raised awareness of the stark dangers of climate disruption to millions. We will keep on raising awareness until rapid changes happen. We won’t give up trying to protect the climate. It is too important. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Raising Awareness on Climate Problems
Thursday 30 Jan 2014
Letter #298
Dear President Obama,
The article yesterday on flood insurance was a clear indicator that insurance companies understand the true economic costs of climate change far better than do the legislators.
In 2012 the Biggert-Waters (could be Biggest-Waters …) Flood Insurance Act shifted the financial risk of flood insurance from the federal govt to homeowners. FEMA updated many of their maps and insurance costs soared 700 to 800% in many places in a single year. That’s because those houses will probably flood. Insurance companies first do the math. Postponing the Biggert-Waters increases for 4 years achieves nothing but government subsidy to unsafe houses. We all need to do the math! The costs of global warming are going to be huge. The best way to keep them down is to cut carbon emissions URGENTLY! Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW. If insurance companies cad do the math, so can we all. The flood waters are coming. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Insurance Companies Do the Math
Thursday 30 Jan 2014
Letter #299 (not letter #293)* (2nd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
Recently I saw a very good documentary film “Carbon Rush.” It’s about the various projects undertaken in 3rd world countries that are supposedly carbon negative, and so provide carbon credits to offset carbon emissions elsewhere. This carbon offset market came about because the EU wanted very badly to decrease their effective emissions. The intention was entirely honorable, but without extensive oversight many of these projects have had disastrous effects on local populations. Huge eucalyptus plantations take water from local farmers, burning trash in India takes jobs away from efficient local trash pickers. Instead, we all need to find LOCAL solutions. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline TODAY. and please try to pass a carbon tax – that money stays LOCAL! Not every carbon-reducing project works and carbon offsets tend to encourage abuse. They need better oversight. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Fan of “Carbon Rush”
*P.S. Oops! Numbering mess up. In my haste to catch up on some skipped days of letter writing, I sent you two letters #293! So this one on the documentary film “Carbon Rush” needs to be renumbered to #299. Thank you – and please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.
S.R.
Friday 31 Jan 2014
Letter #300
Dear President Obama,
I am ashamed to be an American when I read that Atty. General Eric Holder has authorized the Justice Dept. to seek the death penalty against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston marathon bomber.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/us/boston-marathon-bombing-case.html
Both Mr. Holder and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh say they personally oppose the death penalty, but support the barbaric decision. They are hypocrites, You can’t have it both ways. The Marathon bombing was a horrendous act, but killing a 19 year old in retribution does not make our country safer. Postponing urgent action to reduce carbon emissions doesn’t make the world safer either. Please act NOW. Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Climate disruption will lead to many regional conflicts and possibly violence. Getting off fossil fuels will minimize that conflict and violence.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Death Penalty is Barbaric
