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Recently, I was sitting in an overflow crowd awaiting the appearance of Al Gore, and the buzz was palpable. I hadn't been amidst such an excited group since the peace rally opposing the Iraq war over three years ago. This felt so enthusiastic — like there was some new discovery being revealed. Gore was uncharacteristically animated in his talk on a very serious subject: global climate change. This is also the focus of his recently released film, "An Inconvenient Truth," which already ranks among the all-time top 10 box office successes for a documentary.

This spring, when USA Today ran seven articles on global climate change in one week and Time ran 10, I imagined that global warming would be on everyone's mind. Especially when scientists now conclude it's happening much faster and with more dire consequences than previously predicted. While the Bush administration is beginning to acknowledge global climate change, it has yet to act. The technology to make these changes is available now — a worldwide clean-energy revolution is in progress, while the U.S. leadership stands on the sidelines. Yet, on a grassroots level, many states, cities, congressional leaders and individuals are shifting gears to create sustainability. These actions motivate me to help convert our culture to one with a smaller energy footprint.

Together We Can Reduce Climate Change

250 cities join Seattle on Kyoto Protocols: While Al Gore was in town, he and Seattle's mayor, Greg Nickels, unveiled Seattle's Climate Action Plan. The plan proposes 18 steps toward reducing the city's global warming pollution to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. These steps include programs to create more efficient and cleaner energy sources for homes and businesses, reduce dependence on cars and increase fuel efficiency and use of biofuels.

Last year, Nickels and nine other mayors asked over 400 additional mayors across the country to join them. Just one year later, 255 mayors representing about 47 million Americans are taking actions to reduce global warming pollution. Portland, Oregon, already produces less greenhouse gases than 15 years ago, at a savings of $2 million a year. San Francisco has invested $100 million in solar power and is evaluating options for producing energy from offshore waves.

Governors and Senate urge U.S. to join the world: Dovetailing with the mayors' actions, the Western Governors Association (representing 19 western states from Kansas to Alaska) recently agreed to cap and cut global warming emissions through passage of a variety of measures. Likewise, seven northeastern states plus Maryland have taken similar steps by passing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In May 2006, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for the U.S. to join global negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and commit to reducing impacts caused by being a major greenhouse-gas emitter. The resolution opens with, "The United States should act to reduce the health, environmental, economic, and national security risks posed by global climate change and foster sustained economic growth through a new generation of technologies."

The Role of Renewable Electricity Standards

Recent issues of The Polishing Stone have explored reducing our energy footprints by replacing cars with hybrids or biofuel-powered ones that get 40 mpg or more (issues #8, #10 and #12). Another important way to shrink our energy footprint is by increasing energy efficiency (see "Energy Savings Begin at Home" in this issue) and by replacing electric energy used for homes and businesses with renewable, clean sources. The U.S. produces about 25 percent of all greenhouse gases with only 5 percent of the world population — by far the largest energy footprint on the globe. Electrical use alone creates 40 percent of these emissions.

An effective way to convert to more renewable electricity is to create a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). A RES requires utilities to gradually increase the percentage of electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, ocean, geothermal and biomass energy.

Why is a standard needed? According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), "Despite two decades of incentives, America's utilities have failed to generate more than 2 percent of their electricity from clean, abundant, renewable energy supplies. Even today, the only significant renewable energy generation occurs where states require utilities to provide it."

A national RES would create the most benefit: A 20 percent national standard by 2020 would increase renewable power 11-fold, and the resulting reduced emissions would equate to taking 65 million cars off the road. In spite of these benefits, the proposed national RES was struck from Bush's 2005 Energy Tax package, which instead promised 13 billion taxpayer dollars to the nuclear, coal, oil, gas and utilities industries for nonrenewable energy development.

Forty percent of U.S. states have leapfrogged the lack of national leadership on clean energy issues and implemented RESs. California leads this effort with its 30 percent Renewable Electricity Standard by 2017. These state standards will bring about a three-fold increase in renewable energy, and the resulting reduced emissions will equate to taking over 11 million cars off the road. Just five state RESs — California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas — make up 70 percent of these reductions. The demonstrated RES benefits have led six already-participating states to substantially accelerate or increase their standards

Benefits of Renewable Electricity Standards:> RESs save money. According to the U. S. Department of Energy (US DOE), a 10 - 20 percent nationwide RES by 2020 could save consumers from $4.5 to $13.2 billion on their energy bills. Additional savings result from stabilizing energy rates. By diversifying energy sources, shortages that lead to volatile and higher fossil fuel costs are avoided. Accelerated use of renewable energy sources will decrease global warming emissions and decrease air pollution, which is linked to acid rain, smog, respiratory illness and water contamination. Few people connect poor health and escalating health care costs to dirty energy sources or leaving lights and computers on.

Renewable Electricity Standards also reduce the environmental destruction associated with drilling for natural gas, building new pipelines and power lines and mining, transport and burning of coal. Both renewable energy and energy efficiency can be implemented much faster than new nuclear and fossil-fuel energy plants. Farm groups throughout the country support RESs because they benefit domestic rural economies. According to the US DOE, a 20 percent nationwide RES by 2020 will create 80,000 new jobs, with $1.2 billion in new income from harnessing wind energy and $20 billion in new income from developing biomass energy.

Washington State Strives for a RES

Clean Energy Initiative: For seven years, special interest groups have thwarted the legislative passage of a RES in Washington State. This year, supporters are proposing a RES through the voter initiative process. Part of the impetus behind Washington's Clean Energy Initiative, which proposes a 15 percent RES by 2020, is to prevent the need to build three coal-fired power plants (46 more are slated across the country). Energy from coal increases mercury and global warming pollution, asthma and lung disease. According to the Sierra Club, the emissions reductions proposed by this initiative equate to taking 2 million cars off Washington roads.

Recently, the city of Seattle's electric utility became the first in the nation to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions. However, statewide, Washington gets only about 1 percent of its electricity from clean, renewable sources such as solar and wind (not including hydropower). Hydropower facilities supply about 65 percent of the state's power and are renewable and relatively clean. However, hydropower operation and construction creates severe ecosystem damage, especially for salmon. Also, in low-snow-pack years, hydropower is less reliable and subject to price hikes.

According to recent polls (Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates), nearly 70 percent of Washington voters will vote "YES" on I-937 to achieve a 15 percent RES by 2020. Unlike many political issues that divide eastern and western Washington, this one unites both rural and urban interests. The proposed RES will complement Washington's growing body of legislation that requires clean cars, green buildings and renewable fuels for cars.

Getting it on the ballot: To ensure that I-937 will be on the November ballot, volunteers successfully collected nearly 178,000 voter signatures. While I was collecting signatures, I loved it when people signed without a word from me, while exclaiming, "How could anyone be against this?" As with any signature-gathering process, many people responded with, "Not today" or "I don't have time," to which I mentally noted that there is no better time than today for clean energy. I appreciated people who thanked me for the work I was doing as they signed. As one of the top two signature gatherers (2,231), I was thrilled to say a few words at the signature-turn-in event at the state Capitol, along with a farmer, several business people and Congressman Jay Inslee, an avid supporter of I-937.

Increasingly cost effective: Solar and wind electricity costs have dropped 80 - 90 percent over the last 20 years and continue to decline as more renewables are built. Several existing renewable projects produce energy at the rate of 4 - 6 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity, which is better than most non-renewable sources.

Nearing the tipping point: As global climate change accelerates, clean energy becomes a necessity in every locale. The European Union has committed to a RES of 22 percent by 2010. Some areas of Denmark, Spain and Germany already get about 20 percent of their electricity from wind turbines alone. China has a RES of 15 percent by 2020. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, wind turbines on 6 percent of the land in the U.S. or solar panels on 1 percent of the land in Nevada could produce enough electricity to meet annual national demand. "Combined, the technical potential of major renewable technologies could provide more than five times the electricity this country needs. Existing technologies and forward-thinking policies offer practical and affordable solutions to reduce our dependence on the fossil fuels that currently dominate America's electricity system."

Although the prospect of global climate change can be overwhelming, the vast array of actions being taken to combat it, albeit late, is impressive. I am inspired to the point of researching a career change.

I would like my eco-friendly yard practices to spread around my neighborhood and beyond. It's my goal to invite all my neighbors to an in-home Gardening for Life workshop that the Audubon Society sponsors. This program provides each participant with practical steps for creating healthier yards, neighborhoods and habitats. I hope to garner support for this at my next block-watch meeting. If it catches on, maybe life in Puget Sound will be protected. As Sato says, "People usually think of large problems, like tanker spills, but it's really the small things that individuals can do to make a difference."

Marian Wineman is an environmental consultant living in Seattle with her husband and six-year-old daughter.

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