It has been a month since Copenhagen, and since I have had some time to reflect and think of ways in which we need to move forward in order to get ready for COP16 in Mexico and to help mitigate and adapt to the problem of Climate Change. After all, if there is one thing that I have learned is that we have the power to drive change. International negotiations, although critical to drive a cohesive change and hold accountability from different parties, are not the only solution that we have. We need to continue moving forward and take action on an individual level in order to make an impact that in turn demands results from our government. I have come to summarize what I personally need to do in 3 main categories, hopefully you will find these ideas helpful and will use them to guide in making a change….

 

1. Track and reduce my carbon footprint. I know that I am not perfect and that there are always more things that I can do to reduce my carbon footprint. Also as an engineer, I know that step one to make any sort of reduction is to keep account of your carbon footprint. It is easy and there are many small things you can do to reduce your emissions. Lead by example and make sure that others see the benefits of your actions, they might choose to join. Here is a link to a calculator that I have used.
2. Educate! Since being back from Copenhagen I have encountered many people that are not necessarily involved in the climate movement. I have met several people who are still skeptics or that just don’t have enough information in order to care. This is why education is key, it opens opportunities for others to learn about the subject and decide if they want to make a difference. Education does not have to be formal, it could be over a cup of coffee, with family and friends or coworkers! Stay up to date with the news and the science and share your knowledge with others. Facts speak for themselves and they do cause people to see things in a different light. I always find this link helpful when looking for accurate data on climate change.
3. Let your representatives know. If there was one message that I heard through Copenhagen from the different politicians and negotiators that were at the conference it was this… they all encouraged the youth to continue pressuring our politicians, let them know that we want a sustainable future and that we are the ones carrying the burden of the decisions made today. We need to understand that although we are a strong and impactful group, there are still many powerful people that for some reason or another choose to not believe in the facts and are putting pressure on government to not pass climate legislation or to not be capped by carbon emissions. We need to ensure that we have a louder voice, that we carry a message and that we ensure this message reaches the highest levels of government. We need to continue working hard and make sure that our message makes a difference.

 

The Bella Center in Copenhagen is semi-chaotic currently, with long lines to get into the center, thousands of people gathered inside and major discussions occurring in the plenary sessions between the developed and developing countries.

As tensions continue to increase as we come close to the end of the COP15 negotiations, Secretary of Energy for the United States Steven Chu announced the launch of a new initiative to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries. This announcement seemed to surprise many of those standing close to me because finances seem to be completely off from what developing countries are asking in the negotiations. Although, on the positive side the United States is taking a step forward in helping developing countries to get cleaner energy. This program is called Climate REDI and it composes of the following four main areas

• Solar and LED Energy Access Program
• Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Program
• The Clean Energy Information Platform
• The Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (S-REP)

In addition to these four main areas the program will be working closely with other world leaders in renewable energy technologies and clean technologies in order to disseminate them around the world. You can check out more information by clicking here.

This weekend was COY and I had the chance to attend the Climate Change Regime Workshop. Sebastian, one of the YOUNGO’s from France was facilitating this discussion and all I can say is that now I have a much better understanding of the COP system. Hopefully this will help you understand the system a little better as well!

The Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 - this is where it all began. The UNFCCC’s (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) purpose is to prevent catastrophic change in the climate system. This is what we are here to ensure at COP15.

There are 4 main bodies under the UNFCCC:

1. COP - Conference of the Parties
2. CMP - Meeting of the Parties
3. SBI - Subsidiary bodies
4. SBTA - Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technology Advice

These different groups meet during the COP negotiations simultaneously to reach an agreement that will ensure the mitigation and adaptation of Climate Change. These political negotiations are all based on the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). This is composed by a group of scientists that analyze Climate Change and gives suggestions on what the effects will be. Hopefully by the end of these negotiations the world will receive a new treaty that will shift us in a direction in which to stabilize our climate and ensure the health and well being of future generations.

As world leaders are getting ready to meet in Copenhagen, Denmark in less than two weeks to negotiate a new global treaty, there have been many movements lead by grassroots efforts in order to keep pressure on President Obama and the Senate on leading and supporting a strong climate policy in the US.

One of these efforts comes from our friends at 1Sky with “Make Art for Climate” campaign. From October 28^th until December 1^st groups have gathered and are still gathering together to create art that sends a message to our President to step up his efforts for strong climate legislation. In the month of December these pieces of art will be delivered to members of the Obama Administration and the Senate in order for them to receive a visual reminder of what is truly needed for us as a country and as a world.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in one of these gatherings. I met with my policy mentor and friend from 1Sky Katy Walters and some other friends that joined and created a piece of art that we believe represents our urgent need for a strong binding climate bill in the United States and treaty in the Copenhagen Negotiations. I have to say it was a great opportunity as a group to get together and have a good time, enjoy some good conversation and fun while at the same time knowing that we were doing something positive to make a difference.

I hope that more of you get inspired on doing something similar in anticipation to the negotiations and if you want more details check out www.1sky.org. Groups like this one are getting together across the country and you can always also start one of your own. Lets ensure that we do everything possible to pressure our leaders and have them know that we are all concerned for our future, the future of the youth and that of coming generations.

Chalie

Lately I have been hearing a ton of new creative ways in which clean energy is being created! Things anywhere from cultivating algae to burn as a fuel oil all the way extremely efficient fuel cells, and taping into unlimited solar energy. Energy sources are changing and will continue to change. I am feeling hopeful that the transition is happening to these new clean energy technologies.

I have to admit that one of the technologies that I am really fascinated by are the fuel cells. Particularly the Bloom Energy Fuel Cells, these not only not have to combust fuel (which causes way less GHG emission) but also may use a variety of hydrocarbons as fuel (bio fuel are a type of hydrocarbon) . The really exciting thing about this fuel cell is that one of its by-products is Hydrogen which could be used to fuel up hydrogen vehicles! The idea behind this type of fuel cell is that eventually home owners could get one of these fuel cells (once prices start coming down) and install them at home. With this not only would homeowners be able to generate their own electricity at home, but excess energy could also be sold to the grid and all of this while reducing GHG emissions exponentially from the system.

Another extremely interesting source of energy that is being studied right now is the Space Solar Power. This is not your regular photovoltaic system, this is a grand scale mirror arrangements done in space that would project solar radiation to a pad on earth where the energy could be captured. Check out more details on this technology here. It would theoretically be a source of energy that produces no GHG emissions and that could be tapped into 24-7.

There are many new resources for clean energy that are either here, or still coming down the road. We just need to make sure to be aware of this and start making the transition from dirty old fossil fuels to the energy of the future!

This past Saturday was 350 day of Action and I spent an amazing day in Riverwest with different organizations participating and pitching in to make a great carnival full of games and educational tables for the entire community to attend and enjoy. So I got there pretty early to help set up for the carnival which was just a great experience. There was a group of people whom some hadn't even met each other before and we were all working together to make this event possible, setting up and just getting things ready.

So, as the day progressed just dozens of people started showing up and there were tables and games set around the 350 number and of ways to accomplish 350 ppm in the atmosphere. There was a clothing exchange set up for people to bring in clothes they didn't want anymore and for others to take what they like... Games were set up around it, which were extremely entertaining. And other display tables were set up in order to encourage and give ideas of how to reduce our emissions. There was also an incredible compost demonstration where a composting poem was read. It was a day in which the community got together and enjoyed a beautiful day as a community in Milwaukee while being connected to the rest of the world throughout an action.

As I left the action which was over at 3:5opm I decided to catch up with twitter and found out that 35o had made it to the New York Times, Washington Post and was the number 1 news on google. It was just an amazing end to a perfect day when people got together throughout the world and were able to bring a message. It was just incredible to be part of this event and I hope that this day of action influences the decisions that will be made in Copenhagen and drive strong policy. This effect should not only be on a global policy base but also drive some consiousness on the individual level on how can we reduce our own emissions.

Groups and organizations across Milwaukee are getting together this Saturday October 24th to celebrate the 350 day of action in the form of a carnival!  It will be a great time to get together play games, get a bike tune up, listen to good music and enjoy discussing the topics of why we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to a goal of 350ppm (parts per million) in the atmosphere.   To check out more information on this event go to the website http://mkesds.freehostia.com/ACT/MAIN.html.  In Wisconsin alone there are over 20 different 350 events occurring throughout the day of action, there are over 4000 events going on around the world!  So there will be an event close to anyone that wishes to attend, there will be everything from speeches and bands playing to walks through nature, helping out communities to prepare for the winter and save energy.  This will be a date to commemorate.  It will be a day that our voices will be heard through the world, I hope it is a day of education when people understand what is truly at stake due to Global Warming and continue working hard on building a new future for generations to come.

School: Marquette University
Area of Study: Masters in Environmental Engineering

Chalie received a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Marquette University and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree from Marquette, in Environmental Engineering. She is a Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and holds a long-standing internship at MillerCoors in the Sustainability, Environmental Health and Safety Department. Chalie’s academic and professional work focus primarily on water pollution and management, air pollution, and sustainable practices in construction. Native to Puerto Rico, she is bilingual Spanish and English and was the president of the Latin American Student Organization on campus from 2005-2006.

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